


Darkness Descends

by Sewrtyuiop



Category: Kim Possible (Cartoon)
Genre: Evil Plans, F/M, Ki Use, Ron Stoppable centric, Spirits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:00:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 92,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22237480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sewrtyuiop/pseuds/Sewrtyuiop
Summary: Ron Stoppable, The Supreme One's military commander, is one of the survivors from the Lowardian Invasion. He travels back in time to have a better prepared Earth for the invasion. He must remake The Regime, gather his allies, build his army, and take over Earth once again.
Relationships: Bonnie Rockwaller/Ron Stoppable, Josh Mankey/Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable/Tara
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Crossposted from FFnet.

**(Jack Hench Co. Headquarters)**

'Ventilation shafts are the easiest way to get into any egotistical person's place at this point in life,' I thought as I crawled out of one, 'Even Jack Hench has these things unsecured and you would think he would after Kimberly blows up all those super villains' lairs he makes.'

I crouched as I walked to reduce my visibility. I easily avoided detection by the groups of guards that were lollygagging around, not even on alert. These men only acted disciplined for a show when villains come to hire them. My men would never be this way.

I was disappointed that Jack didn't have motion detectors installed on his cameras, not that it would have mattered to me. I was the master of stealth, no one compared to me, not even Shego or Sensei.

Once I got to Jack's personal office, I bypassed the archaic defenses of the door. It was just a simple 4 digit pin, 0515, his birth date. What kind of simpleton does that? He is the owner of a multi-million dollar company and he doesn't even have any good security measures.

It really didn't matter because it made my job much easier. When I entered his office, I immediately hacked his computer on his desk and scrolled through for any noteworthy projects. Disappointment was all I found, he had only run of the mill projects to sell to the various supervillains.

The door opened and heard someone shout about me not being in their office, obviously Jack. I glanced up and saw he had two bodyguards with them.

I waited until both guards came close to me before grabbing the arm of one and slamming him into the other one. I used my mystical monkey powers to augment my strength beyond its current wimpy level to pick up the desk and throw it at the recovering men. The method was brutal and unrefined, but it did the job. The two guards were both knocked out cold.

I then walked over to Jack and picked him up by the collar of his shirt, relishing in the fear I saw in his eyes. Good, the fool knew I wasn't some pushover.

"Now Jack, don't you see I'm a little busy here?" I asked him, "I wanted to find something worth taking but you don't have anything. I need something or I might get upset and take it out on you."

"Wait! Put me down and I'm sure I can give you something," he said, pleading.

I dropped him unceremoniously on the ground. "What do you have in mind?"

"How about a ten percent discount on all my products?" he offered. I was unimpressed.

"Fifteen percent?" he offered, after a moment silence, "Twenty?"

"How about your whole company?" I said, holding a laugh in at his incredulous expression, "I have big plans for this world and I need a place with your type of resources to start off."

"Absolutely not! I don't care what type of freakish powers you have but this company is mine!" He started yelling off, "I worked hard to build this company. I had to deal with crazed scientists, mutated freaks, and demented men in power suits to make my money. I'm not going to allow some kid take all my hard work, especially not the lapdog of Kim Possible!"

Lapdog! Who did this two-bit con man think he was. In the blink of an eye, I had punched Jack in the stomach. He keeled over and immediately vomit whatever he had eaten today. Disgustingly weak he was, couldn't even take a punch from this weak body that didn't use my full powers.

I lifted him in the air and slammed him headfirst into the ground beside his puke puddle. I heard the satisfying crunch of his nose probably being broken. I confirmed it when he slowly got up and it was bent awkwardly.

"You little shit," he yelled at me before I threw him against the wall beside his men. I might have thrown him a little too hard because his head had started to bleed. I didn't need him to have brain damage, he had to last for a while until I found a suitable replacement.

"Jack, you're not hurt too badly, are you?" I asked with a false concern, "Because I need to be awake for this next part."

"What are you going to do to me?" He asked, fear creeping back in his voice. Good.

"Don't worry, it's not going to hurt," I told him, as I put my palm on my head, "Much. Now embrace your destiny!"

My mystical aura poured from my body in a black slithering form as it enveloped Jack. The businessman started to scream a second later and grabbed my wrist in a futile attempt to escape. I grabbed his throat to control him as I poured more power into him.

Once I felt like I had invaded his mind and placed every command in there I wanted. I withdrew my hands from him and stared at the site of the ruined man.

His broken nose had blood running out it, so did his now completely black eyes. The man's body stood completely still and one could mistake him for dead. But he wasn't, he was just a slave to my will, a puppet that I pulled the strings too.

Suddenly Jack jilted straight up and onto his feet. His eyes had returned to their normal brown hue.

"What do you need, sir?" the first thing he asked.

"Escort me out of here, I have to return back to my parents' house before Kimberly notices I'm not there," I answered, "And clean yourself up afterward. I can't have my subordinates look so sloppy."

"Yes sir," he was all he said before heading to the door and holding it open to me.

A large group of henchmen had just gathered near the door, armed with those ridiculous electrical staves. Jack held up his hand and explained to the men that I was not an enemy and they should treat me the same as him.

I could tell the men were confused and apprehensive about that, considering Jack's disheveled appearance. The men did not lower their weapons and slowly moved closer to me.

Jack's face turned uncharacteristically red, "You imbeciles leave now or you're going to be fired!"

That got the men moving. Seems Jack has some control of these men. If he was tougher with them, they would be more disciplined.

"Follow me sir and I will give you our fastest hovercraft, complete with invisibility capabilities."

* * *

**(Stoppable House)**

That feeling of nostalgia never went away when I step into my parents' house. The smell of the plugin cinnamon air freshener brought memories of times when things were simple, times I was reliving now.

But I couldn't let things stay simple, I had to rebuild humanity's only hope for the future. I slaved years over its development and I had performed unspeakable actions for it. My soul had been seeped in darkness and had become a void of darkness.

Rufus descendants, Wade, Monique, Tim, and Jim have gotten help from Kimberly from the past due to the Tempus Simia. But I had retrieved the tool to correct their foolish mistake, one they thought for the better of the world.

I will not let the sacrifices I made be for nothing. The Supreme One's Regime will rise again and we will defeat the Lowardians this time. No one will stop us.


	2. Chapter 2

School. How I hated the place. I had many better things to do, but I had to keep up appearances or Kimberly would get suspicious of me.

The redhead loved to stick her nose where it didn't belong. It's one of the main reasons she became the head of Global Justice in the future. The Regime was working right under the organization's nose until she pried into our activities. If she was a dog, she would be a bloodhound.

Kimberly was speaking about her last date with Josh Mankey. I didn't care but I feigned exaggerated dislike of him, how my younger self would. She then lectured me on how I should give him a chance and not be so judgmental.

I tuned her out at this point. Josh wasn't a bad guy, but he was annoyingly good at recruiting rebels against the Regime. His little posters and paintings somehow strongly inspired people to the wrong cause.

When I walked into the school, I was confronted by Bonnie about some nonsense for being a loser. She walked off and started to bully someone else.

I stared at her while she walked away, much to the annoyance of Kimberly. Bonnie was useful as a subordinate, as she was the director of patriotic rehabilitation. The program was made to get young delinquents to become useful Regime soldiers.

I needed her on my side, I wasn't charismatic like her. I enforced the Regime through fear, she was the one to sway the masses.

Kimberly asked why I was staring at her high school rival, stopping me from further planning on recruiting the brunette.

"She's hot, KP. And feisty like Diablo sauce," I told her with a lecherous grin.

She rolled her eyes at me, "Stop being such a pig, Ron."

I didn't respond to her and instead opened my disgustingly messy locker. This had to be changed, I'll get the janitor to do it one of these days. The man would eagerly take some extra cash.

I could feel Kimberly's questioning gaze on me, due to my unusual quietness. I found it hard to keep a conversation with someone you had been fighting for over ten years. Any lingering aggression I could hide but I couldn't fake the friendliness of the past.

"Ron, you okay?" she finally asked, as we sat down beside each other in our first class, "You've been awfully quiet this morning."

I flashed her my goofiest grin, "The Ron man is all good. Just been thinking." 'On how to be distance between us that doesn't get you so suspicious.'

"About what?" She asked, "And better not be Bonnie."

"I'm a teenage hormone-filled boy, KP. The majority of my thinking is about hot women. Especially since they are almost everywhere I go!"

Kim raised an eyebrow at my last statement. "What do you mean everywhere?"

"At school, they are plentiful! You got Bonnie, Tara, the whole cheer leading squad, and Monique," I explained, as the chocolate beauty sat beside Kim. She might be a pain in the ass in the future but she was still gorgeous.

"What about me?" She asked.

"Ron is just being a pig and thinking about the females he's attracted to," Kimberly answered for me.

"Who would that be?"

Kimberly recited all the people I listed, but I wasn't done. I had to interrupt to finish. "Then there's Shego, Britannia, some of the foreign girls I have ogled at while we were at various counties and your mom, KP."

Whoever I else wanted to list, I couldn't get out because Kimberly had placed her hand over my mouth. I had to fight the instinct to bite her hand.

Kimberly's face was scrunched up in disgust, "TMI, Ron!"

"Just speaking the truth." I looked over to Monique to see her eyes shining with mischief.

"Kim's mom is beautiful and I can see why many guys would be attracted to her," Monique said, with Kimberly giving her a dirty look, "But Kim takes a lot after her mom."

I knew what she was getting at, but I wasn't playing her matchmaking games. "KP and I are best friends, almost siblings. The situation I am is like that song, Stacy's mom."

"But without the ridiculous daydreams," I added as an afterthought when I caught Kimberly's glare.

"Plus Kim's dating Josh."

Monique and Kimberly were surprised by using the artist's first name instead of the derogatory nickname I gave him.

"And Josh is so great boyfriend," Kimberly added, "No offense, Ron. I'm sure you would be a great boyfriend too for someone."

I shrugged, "None taken."

We sat in silence as Barkin came through the door to substitute for our teacher. Some things never change.

I headed home immediately after practice, skipping the frivolous cheerleading practice. I was going to quit being the mascot so I had no reason to be there. Kimberly would be bothered by the decision, but I couldn't spare anytime goofing off as I've done before.

At the doorstep, there was a small brown package I was expecting. Jack had delivered early.

I quickly opened it when I got inside to find the materials I needed to get started on my first project. I was excited to make some progress on my plan.

I went upstairs to the attic and put the materials on a small desk. I gathered a toolbox that was lying around in the garage and pulled out what I needed.

Within an hour, I had made a small mechanical spider, about the size of a tarantula. It was one of my favorite spy tools I used in the Regime.

The machine was able to hack through any defense it encountered, besides Wade's. The current Wade didn't have the defenses his future self had, so my invention should have no problems.

I sent the arachnid menace to the hacker's house, knowing he wouldn't even notice it in the messy basement he lived in. Wade and I were the biggest slobs in the past.

I opened the desk's drawers to retrieve a large binder. Here, I had written down all the information about the Regime's plan to take over the world that had worked that I remembered.

The only one I could work on now was Project Tartarus. It was how the Regime had gotten the majority of its troops at first.

We had made a large prison, where we would take the most deranged and dangerous criminals in the world, for a fee. Nothing too different from the prison corporations at the time. We just had an extremely lower price and no questions are asked about the state of the prisoners, not the governments cared because they were saving money. Especially the communist, South American, and African countries.

We used these criminals to make augmented soldiers through the use of cybernetics and memory placement. The cybernetics allowed them to have a physical advantage over normal soldiers, with their increased physical attributes, such as speed, strength, and durability. The memory placement was a shortcut over the traditional training of soldiers.

We placed the memories of formerly trained soldiers into their minds and the prisoners gained the majority of the knowledge from the training. It wasn't perfect nor ethical. The prisoners would mostly turn into dim-witted overly aggressive men, forgetting who they were most of the time because of the memory placement destroyed the memories of their former selves. They cybernetics controlled their minds, so we didn't have to worry about them going on a mindless rampage.

These mindless drones were the bulk of our first wave of troops. Silent, powerful, armed with laser rifles, and wearing full body armored suits, they could easily defeat any modern soldiers.

For the ones that didn't become these drones, they were placed into more extensive programs. They were augmented furthered to fill into more specialized roles, such as shock troopers, infiltrators, or men with the same firepower and defense capabilities as a small tank. The ones with the most potential would be blessed with the powers similar to mine.

The thoughts of these powerful soldiers being under my control again made me shiver with excitement. War and subterfuge were my expertise in the Regime, which made me the second most important in the Regime. I only answered to the Supreme One, my mentor who guided me to my full extent of my power.


	3. Chapter 3

**(Possible Residence)**

It was my third day back and I had already been on a mission. Kimberly and I had to foil one of Drakken's ludicrous plans again. Something about mind-controlling shampoo.

I saw the Supreme One, of course. It was weird to see her so unfocused and with no true ambition, only concerned with fighting Kimberly and earning payment. I rather call her Shego because she wasn't worthy of the same respect as the Supreme One. If I only knew what changed her so drastically, I would have a partner, an equal to fight and conqueror with. Just like the first days of the Regime.

But right now, I had to focus on gathering subordinates and resources of my own. Once I had gained a foothold of power, I could worry about bringing Shego to the mix. It would be after I gained at least two or three countries.

Once Kimberly and I had been dropped off at her house, she asked me if I wanted to join her and her family for dinner. I agreed because I couldn't think of a plausible reason to blow her off.

I helped prepare the dinner table with Kimberly and her mother. I noticed Kimberly was watching me like a hawk, to see if I was going to ogle her mother. I decided to humor her when her mother had bent over to pick up some silverware she had dropped on the floor. I received an elbow to the ribs for that, but it was worth it for both irritating Kimberly and the view.

The despicable twins and their father showed minutes after we were done setting the table. I took my usual spot beside Kimberly.

After minutes of prattle about their daily lives, all attention was focused on me.

"Ron, I noticed you were able to fight off Drakken's men today, easily I might add. I was wondering where you picked up those martial art skills?" Kimberly asked me.

You think I had no problem fighting them? I had to resist every instinct to break their bodies with each attack I made.

"I picked them up from you. Between missions and watching you practice, I had a lot of time observing your sixteen styles of kung-fu and get something from each," I answered, "But of course my skills are nowhere near as radical as yours, KP."

You might know many forms but you were a master of none. A Jack of all trades. You were no match for me in one on one combat. I was the master of the ultimate martial art.

Kim was smiling from the small amount of praise. "The prowess you showed today, was amazing Ron. Picking that up from just observation is almost unheard of, I don't think I could even do that. I always knew you had potential. Maybe one of these days I can teach you something advanced."

I held in a snort from what she thought was advanced. I just gave her the trademark Ron smile, Ron shine included.

Dinner was cut short due to an explosion coming from the twins' room. Mr. Possible went upstairs to handle the mess, while Mrs. Possible chastised the two boys. Kimberly decided to help her father and gave me a quick hug before she left. I returned the hug quickly, luckily not tensing up.

As I left the house, I felt a small sense of nostalgic blissfulness. I immediately had those feelings drained by remembering how much of a pain this family will be and has been in the future. I walked away from the house with a familiar and comfortable feeling of anger.

* * *

**(Stoppable Residence)**

In the attic, I had just completed making a few surveillance drones. I had a few people I wanted to keep an eye, other than Kimberly of course. Bonnie Rockwaller and Justine Flanners here in Middleton were my two primary subjects at the moment.

The other was in a small town that was a few states north of me. He was one of the three people in this world that could match me in raw power and he had perished before I could recruit him into the Regime.

I really liked the kid and I was going to do whatever I had to do to protect him this time. I already broke my promise to his family once, I won't do it again.

I walked over to the new computer Jack had sent me. I saw that he had already started on Project Tartarus. He had converted one of his underwater lairs into the prison I needed. He already had two hundred fifty prisoners being shipped there. Only about half of them would survive the process and the washouts would be flushed, literally.

I left the attic and headed to my room. I saw Rufus was asleep beside a cheese wheel with a bloated gut. I opened my closet to retrieve a full black bodysuit with a matching black mask, provided by Jack. It was simple in design and served its purpose.

I checked myself to make sure I had all the equipment I needed before heading out to my latest heist.

* * *

**(Canada)**

After a quick flight to Canada via the hovercraft Jack gifted me, I found myself in the district of Ontario. I landed my transportation near a gated abandoned warehouse facility and made sure cloaking was enabled. A quick jump over the fence and a short run, I had reached my destination, Ontario Space Center. In there was a piece of the meteorite, called the Azure Stone. It had the capability to power dozens of cities for centuries. But no one but me knew that, yet.

I scaled the building from the back, noticing the strange lack of guards outside and the security cameras stopped moving when I reached the top. Someone else was here, just what I needed. I knew the probability of them going after the same prize as I was high, very high.

I went through the already opened window, which led to the security room. The men there knocked out and all security cameras were disabled. Seeing the computer hard drives with three long burnt slashes through them, I knew the culprit, Shego.

The last person I needed to see and I tried to rack my brain for a mission where Drakken used the Azure Stone. I stopped my useless pondering as I made my way to the center of the facility.

There she was, clad in her green and black jumpsuit. She was stunning as ever, well endowed and her body toned. She just bypassed the Azure Stone's lockbox defense, about to grab the small piece of meteorite.

I threw a few knives her way, causing the villain to dive out the way. I bolted over to her position, I sent a knife-hand towards her neck. She easily blocked it and sent a glowing fist towards my face.

I sidestepped the punch before performing a sweep kick, knocking her off her feet. She performed a handstand and bounced off the palm of her hands to kick me in the chest. She got first blood.

I was knocked backward and I could see the growing smirk on her face. I needed to train this body to be faster and stronger.

She quickly followed up with a slash with her claws, targeting my face. I ducked under the attack and punched her in the stomach. She was lifted off the ground a few inches and I heard her gasp for air.

I then grabbed her waist and slammed her into the ground. Shego shot off a fireball when I let go to create distance. I jumped backward and when I landed, I saw Shego smiling, hands lit.

"I see I don't hold back with you," she said, "I'm kinda excited to fight now."

Lies. She was ecstatic with joy, she didn't have to hold back. She had to with everyone else, including Kimberly, unless the girl had the power suit. The only ones she didn't have to hold back against were her brother and me.

I mustered as much of the mystical monkey powers as I could, knowing I was in for a hard fight. This body was not as attuned to the mystic arts as I wanted, a reminder to train.

Shego pounced like a cheetah across the room, claws aimed at my throat. I grabbed her wrist when she closed the distance. I rolled onto my back with her momentum and kicked her in the stomach.

The kick, fueled by mystical monkey powers, launched her behind me. I dodged the fireball she sent while airborne. I turned around to see her running towards me, one of her claws digging a trench into the ground.

Bits of the ground ignited with her green glow, flew at breakneck speeds towards me when she slung her arms upward. I hastily reinforced my arms with a barrier as I barely blocked the majority of the assault. A few pieces of shrapnel caught open my bodysuit and skin near my skin and chest. I felt the warmth of my blood slowly trickle down my body.

I ducked and spun around the flaming fist headed my way. I retaliated with an elbow to her stomach. I continued with an uppercut to her jaw, releasing my power as a shock wave to send her flying into the air.

She somersaulted with the attack before launching another cosmic glow ball of pain at me. I cartwheeled backward, dodging the fireball. I blocked the incoming flurry of punches and kicks, countering with a powerful sidekick sending her tumbling to the ground.

Shego came to a halt and ignited her fist, smashing through the concrete floor. The floor cracked and shook from the attack, knocking me off balance.

Shego used this time to launch a devastating roundhouse kick. Shego's shin felt like a hammer smacking my face as I flew into a wall.

Shego placed her glowing claw against my throat. "Yield."

I gritted my teeth as I gave up, knowing I couldn't escape. If I had my old body, I would have won. "I yield, you can have the Azure stone. Let me leave."

Shego smirked as she let the glow leave her hand. "Losers don't get to make demands. I think I want to know who gave me such a good fight."

"Why does it matter? I'm not some hero who's going to try to stop you at every corner," I told her, "I had a job to do, just like you."

"It's always good to know your competition in this line of work," she said, as she slowly moved her hand to my head to remove my headgear, "You somewhat familiar to me, like I have seen you a lot."

I didn't even notice my voice changer stopped working! It must have been broken after Shego kicked me. Damn Jack and his average equipment. I had to make some top of the line stuff for myself.

I had to get out of this situation, her hands were already pulling off my mask. "What will it take you not to remove my mask?"

She raised an eyebrow at my question. "Why so secretive? I'm not going to rat out your identity. There is honor among thieves. And if you didn't want your identity to be found out, you should have just left when you saw the greatest thief in the world."

She was my teacher for everything, even my mystical monkey powers. So she was the world's greatest thief. "I don't like being known, I like being incognito."

"Too bad for you," she said as she quickly yanked up my mask. I was barely able to stop her from pulling up past my nose. I knew I had to do something quickly before she broke free from my grip.

She was extremely close now, I could see the rage in her eyes, ignited over the fact I didn't allow her to see my face. Something she had won and I knew she didn't like being denied her prize. The fire was reminiscent of The Supreme One's eyes, lit with enthusiasm for her world domination. I wanted to feel the heat of that fire again. I could smell her lavender perfume she always used. Her black lipstick making her plump lips stick out even more against her light green skin. She was just as physically beautiful as ever.

I guess being in my younger hormone-filled body allowed me to have a lapse of extreme stupidity. Shego had punched me through the wall after a few seconds of kissing her.

I stood up quickly, even with the pain of a few broken ribs, and threw down one of my smoke bombs. I ran off to my hover ship before Shego could catch up with me.

The kiss was totally worth it.


	4. Chapter 4

**(Middleton)**

I was walking with Kimberly to school, together as always. With one extra, Josh Mankey.

I was grateful he was here because he kept Kimberly from bothering me about skipping cheer practice. And I didn't really want to talk anyway, considering I just got beat by Shego, who wasn't as powerful as The Supreme One.

My ribs and ego were deeply bruised. I wouldn't make the same mistake twice. I needed to train, I needed to be capable on my own. Recruiting allies was secondary.

I looked over to Kimberly and Josh, to see the pair still gushing over each other. Good, I didn't need to converse with them.

As we walked inside the school, I saw Bonnie walking towards us. She had the familiar hatred in her eyes, all directed at Kimberly. The heroine did just grab the new "hottie" right from under the brunette's nose. With my help, of course.

Bonnie sneered at the redhead as she got into her rival's face. "Kim, don't be so busy with your boy toy that you forget about practice, again."

Kim was strangely unaffected by this, "I had to stop Drakken and Shego from using a giant laser drill. Saving the world as usual."

I didn't want to listen to the inevitable squabble and elbowed Josh's rib, a little roughly.

"Remind Kim needs to get to class, she hates being late," I whispered to him before walking off.

While walking to my locker, I thought about last night's encounter with Shego. I saw the embers of The Supreme One in her. That sight made me remember what I would never have again.

Shego couldn't be The Supreme One. I couldn't recreate that magnificent being. It was what molded me into what I was today. The creation could never recreate the creator. It would be a mockery of the creator.

And the kiss had the undesired effect of making my hormones go wild. I found myself checking out many females passing by, most of them mediocre in my opinion.

But Bonnie, Tara, and Monique caught my eye, who were the most well-developed females in our school. Tara had the breasts, Monique had the butt, and Bonnie had an equal measure of both.

I shook my head of these thoughts, something to entertain later. But I couldn't since one of them was walking up to me.

"Morning Ron," one of the beauties said to me.

"Morning Mon," I replied, checking her out head to toe. Damn that kiss. I didn't think it would be so powerful on me.

Monique put her hands on hip. "Ron, eyes up here!"

I snapped my sight to her eyes. For a second, I saw the future Monique, defiance on her face, but a strange tinkle of playfulness in her eye.

"Sorry, but I can't help checking out the view. It's irresistible." A little flirting might ease this feeling I had.

"I thought you had eyes for Kim's mom? She told me about what happened at dinner."

"I recognize all forms of beauty, especially the chocolate flavor."

Monique giggled and her cheeks blushed. Maybe I was being too bold, but I didn't care at the moment.

I walked closer to Monique and gently grabbed ahold of her hands.

"Calm down, Casanova. You don't want everyone thinking you are like every other guy in the school. Just chasing after every skirt that passes by," she said.

What was she talking about? My old self asked almost every pretty girl for each dance we had.

Monique suddenly laughed at me. I gave her a questioning look.

"It's cute when you are so confused, Ron. Everyone knows you asked out all those girls in desperation, not cause you actually liked them."

"What's been going on here?" I looked to my side to see Kimberly just arrived.

"Something going on between you two I should know about?" Nosy as always,

"Oh, Ron was over here trying being a Casanova," was Monique's answer.

"Trying? I thought I was one! I even got you to blush."

Monique rolled her eyes at me. "Correction, he is being one. But you caught me by surprise. I didn't know you knew how to be smooth."

Kim was unconvinced. "Ron being smooth? I have to see it to believe it."

This small innocent comment angered me for some reason. I knew at this time I wasn't any good with females, but I wanted to prove a point.

"Not only is the Ron man smooth as butter, but he is a perfect gentleman."

"Prove it then, Ron. Get a date by the end of the week," was Kim's challenge.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Challenged accepted!"

I walked off after that, with my target already in mind.

* * *

**(Later that day, English class)**

I had just entered English class and Barkin was already yelling at me to sit down.

Apparently we were going to be doing a group project. Groups of two and Barkin was surprisingly allowing us to choose our partners.

With a blink of an eye, I was beside Bonnie. I wanted to complete my challenge and this was the best way. These group projects required us to be alone, with no interruptions for long periods of time. This was going to be a breeze.

Bonnie was already getting up, trying to distance herself from me. "I'm not working with you, loser!"

"Well, that tanks. I had a nice little plan to annoy Kim all ready to go." I looked at her, seeing her interest piqued.

She glanced at me suspiciously. "Why would you want to get under your master's skin, lapdog?"

A low growl that I couldn't control escaped my mouth. "I'm no one's lapdog, I'm sick of hearing that!"

Bonnie looked at me in shock before smirking. "Seems like you have a little backbone, what did Kim do to anger her little precious mad dog? You can tell your old friend, BonBon."

She patted my head, like I was a hurt child about to reveal some painful secret. I had forgotten about this side of Bonnie, I was so used to working with her and her insults not being directed at me. She could be highly aggravating at times.

I decided to play along though. My past self always craved support and attention from Kimberly. I would get extremely jealous when others got in the way.

I explained how I got locked in the janitor's closet after giving Kimberly a pep talk inside of it so she could ask Josh out to the dance. I made sure to call him Monkey instead of his name and complained about all the time Kim and he was hanging out. I had to make sure I sounded like a jealous child, pouting the whole time. I needed to let Bonnie think she was going to be able to manipulate me.

"Oh Ronnie, Bonnie here will make sure you feel better," she said, still rubbing my head, "What did you have in mind?"

"You and I go on a date on Friday," I answered.

Bonnie's blank stare told me what she thought of that idea. "Come on, taking your rival's best male friend on a date. You are just stomping all over her girl territory. You know how overprotective she is. I know about how she scared off Tara after the Gill incident."

Bonnie seemed interested now. "How are you going to explain that we are suddenly going on a date to her?"

"She challenged me to get a date by the end of the week. I would use the guise of us working together and say I got to know you better. I saw the real you and how you are not bad like she thinks you are."

"So you saying I'm a nice girl? Cause I'm called the Queen Bee for a reason."

"Naw. You're totally a bad girl. Your tongue is the whip you crack to get all these other posers and idiots to do you want. They take the whipping eagerly, hoping to get your attention and adoration. They don't understand you are just using them to get what you want and throwing them away like the trash they are once you got what you wanted."

Bonnie, once again, was stunned. "Seems like you aren't so nice yourself."

I smirked at her. "Oh Bonnie, I'm a total bad boy. You just need to be the right person to pull it out of me."

"I'll work with you Ron, but I'll hold off on the date. Maybe if you interest me enough, I'll take your offer," she said before getting turning away from me.

I smiled. I was going to make you forever loyal to me. Just you watch BonBon, you would be like putty in my hands.

* * *

**(Lunch Room)**

Bonnie had told me to meet with her at her house after practice. She would want to work on this stupid essay, but I wanted to work on something more personal. I licked my lips in anticipation.

"What are you so happy about?" Kimberly asked me as I sat down at our regular table.

"Bonnie and I are partners in English for an essay," I answered, "No more stupid cretin partners for me."

Kimberly gave me a disapproving glare. "They're not stupid, Ron. And you can't talk, with how you do projects."

"That's because I procrastinate, not because I'm stupid. If I was stupid, how could I be in those honor classes with you?"

"Still doesn't give you the right to call people stupid."

Monique walked over to our table, stopping whatever snide remark I wanted to make. I needed to calm down. Those few minutes of showing what I really thought with Bonnie was affecting me greatly.

"What are you two talking about?" Monique asked.

Kim was still staring at me with the same disapproving glare. "Ron's making fun of his classmates and calling them stupid. Which he still hasn't taken back."

I ignored Kimberly, "I did score one bomb diggity chick as my partner!"

Kimberly let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't know what you see in Bonnie."

"For one, KP, you're not a guy. Also, you two have that bitter rivalry going on. So neither one of you two are going to see anything good about each other. If you two did, the rivalry would dissipate easily," I explained to her. Something about someone being shocked by who you truly are might never get old to me.

Monique was the first to recover. "He has some good points, Kim."

"Whatever, let's not talk about her anymore," Kim said, not even trying to counter my points.

Monique smiled excitedly, that excitement teenage girls get when they talk about trivial teenage girl subjects. "You were going to tell me about the date you and Josh are going on Friday, right?"

Ugh, I didn't hear this and the assortment of giggles that would follow. I put a dejected expression on my face, saying I wasn't hungry anymore. I know they would both think I'm acting like this because of Josh and loss of the Ron day.

It was a good cover. I had better things to do than listen to them prattle. Like meeting up with a certain janitor.

* * *

**(Rockwaller Residence)**

I had just knocked on the door and was waiting for someone to answer. Probably be Ms. Rockwaller, she was a housewife and at the abode almost twenty-four seven.

I was surprised when it was Mr. Rockwaller, the man was usually on some business trip and was rarely at Temple.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Rockwaller," I said politely, Mother did train me to have good manners. When I felt like using them, that is.

The burly man replied with a nod of his head. "Afternoon Ronald. Bonnie told me you were coming. She's in her room."

"I'll head right that way," I told him. He then glared at me and gripped my shoulder tightly. What did I do wrong?

"Remember Ronald, you are a teenager now, not a child. I'm allowing in there because I know you are a good kid. Not that brute, Brick though."

I have forgotten that he was very protective of his three little princesses, especially Bonnie. Hopefully, he wouldn't be checking on me every few minutes.

I gave him a goofy grin. "The Ron man will be on his best behavior. Nothing to worry about from me." Hopefully, that would let him relax.

He let go of my shoulder and nodded st my answer. I followed behind him, going upstairs. We stopped at Bonnie's door before he gave me one more warning before leaving.

Bonnie had just opened the door to see her father leave. "I'm surprised he didn't tell us to go downstairs."

I shrugged. "He knows the Ron man is a trusty worthy fellow."

Bonnie rolled her eyes at me. "Get in before my sisters see you."

"Definitely don't want to a confrontation with wicked witches of the East and the West," I said as I walked in. Bonnie snickered at my comment.

Her room hasn't changed that much since I came in last time, about five years ago. The walls were still a solid purple. Her queen-sized bed had that same royal purple comforter set. Her two dressers were lined with all types of makeup and jewelry.

I laid down my backpack on the floor as Bonnie went on about what ideas she had the paper. I pulled out the paper I had typed earlier, I didn't want to waste time on it. I handed it to Bonnie, who was lying down on her bed.

I watched as her eyes widen after each page she read. "How did you do this so fast? Everything is perfect!"

I sat down beside her. "I wanted to show you that I'm not some idiot like everyone thinks I am."

"I know otherwise know." Bonnie looked me over, giving an appreciative glance. I wasn't in my usual red jersey and baggy khaki cargoes. I changed into a navy button-down shirt and a more form-fitting khaki slacks. Small changes they were, but big changes they made.

"That outfit doesn't look too bad on you," she said. Wait until she saw what I look like with an athletic body.

I smiled at the smile compliment. "I have a little fashion sense. I was thinking about changing up my wardrobe later today. Care to join me?"

I pulled out an American Express, courtesy of Jack. "I was going to let you get something if you helped me."

I could see her eyes shine with excitement. A guy was asking you to make him your personal mannequin and get a gift of it. She couldn't resist.

I got my answer in the form of her rushing to put on her shoes. When she finished, she gave me a glare for a strange reason.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, this isn't a date," Bonnie said, before grabbing my arm and pulling out the room.

"I'm going to the mall, Dad! I'm going to borrow the sedan for a few hours," she said before she made it to the door, making a grab for the keys near Mr. Rockwaller.

Her father was sitting on the couch, watching the news.

"What about the school work?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the screen, but swiftly grabbing the keys before Bonnie could.

"Ron already did it," she answered.

"Let me see it and if it's complete, Ronald can take you to the mall in his car."

Bonnie gave me a questioning look, one that demanded answers, before going back upstairs for the paper.

Mr. Rockwaller gave me the same look after his daughter left. "My parents thought it would be a good idea for me to have my set of wheels, not that raggedy scooter."

"He finally decided to use some of that money he's been sitting on," Mr. Rockwaller, "Good. He can afford to spoil you a little, Ronald. You're a good kid."

"Thanks, Mr. Rockwaller," I said, "What time shall I bring the princess back to the castle?"

"10." Was his answer.

"She will be returned safely, sir," I told him before Bonnie came back with the papers. A little torture was going to be worth it.

Bonnie handed the papers, which her father briefly scanned before handing them back. "Don't be out too late."

Bonnie was pulling me out the door before her father even finished. She took one look at the all-black sedan with tinted windows, and I could tell she liked it. It wasn't flashy, but still, something nice to look at.

"Your dad bought you a nice car," she complimented as she sat in the passenger seat, "Not as nice as my Corvette."

"My dad didn't want me to get something so sporty. He thinks I'll do something reckless to get a similar adrenaline rush I would get from the missions," I explained, before driving off. This little torture session was going to be worth it in the end.


	5. Chapter 5

**(Stoppable Household)**

Today had been a successful training session, instead of a wasteful cheerleading practice I used to goof off at. I grabbed a water bottle before heading to shower.

As I felt the refreshing hot water hit the skin, I thought about last night with Bonnie. The trip to the mall with Bonnie was enjoyable. After the torture of clothes shopping with a woman, we spent the rest of the time people watching and ridiculing those people.

It was always amusing to make fun of the stupid populace, especially the teenage ones. Bonnie might play the role of the popularity obsessed teenage girl, but she had plans for the near future. She wanted to go to an even more prestigious school than her twin sisters, to up show them and get the best education she could receive to become a psychologist.

Her ambition was a good thing, but I had greater plans for her. The Bonnie from my timeline had stored all her procedures and techniques for the Patriotic rehabilitation program in a hard drive.

The Regime had all important information stored away for each branch in separate locations, in case we were hacked at the main database. The information would give off a signal for the other members to track the location of these hard drives. Something I had to omit from my future allies.

Bonnie had asked me about my choice of clothing and why I didn't wear more outfits like what I wore last night. My response was that I didn't want to woo all the females with my good lucks and Ron shine. Taking all those women to bed and breaking their hearts would be unbearable for me, especially after the great nights they would experience with me.

Bonnie had snorted at this, saying I didn't know one thing about pleasuring a woman. I told her I knew all the right spots to excite her. And boy, did I know.

Of course, she didn't believe me, since she didn't even know herself, yet. She then tried to threaten me to not pull those moves on Tara that I did on Monique in the hallway. It was cute how protective she was over her blonde friend. The brunette watched me like a hawk anytime I had an interaction during the Regime. Tara worked as Bonnie's personal aid during the time.

Not that her surveillance stopped anything. The blonde still had feelings for me, after all that time. The relationship started off similar to Bonnie's but moved to something deeper. Almost the same feelings I had with the Supreme One, without the adoration.

Not that I got to explore that avenue, due to those damned Lowardians. Those green-skinned giant barbarians wreaked havoc on Earth and our forces.

We were able to prevail, but not after heavy losses. The Regime Leadership was all but eliminated. I was the only survivor.

Even the Resistance was mostly dead. That was their own fault since some of them brokered a deal with the aliens. This lead to infighting that destroyed them. I wish I could have gotten my hands on the traitors.

The Lowardians had caused so much damage to Earth mostly, due to orbital bombardment, that most of the planet was inhospitable. They even targeted the defunct nuclear weapons, which lead to the upcoming nuclear winter.

Humanity was now on the brink of extinction. Our planet was dying, nor we did we have the resources for space travel. We couldn't even reach the destroyed moon colony. We had estimated under two years before our planet became one hundred percent inhospitable.

I had taken the news and the deaths of the Regime terribly. I had hidden myself away from all others, people who looked up to me for leadership or down for vengeance. I had fallen from grace, from being the second most powerful human in the world to being a bitter hermit in the middle of nowhere.

One person did find me, Yori from Yamanouchi. She was my liaison to the secretive school of ninjas. She told me of something of great importance to make me leave my hermitage.

The last great minds and leaders of Earth had banded together to propose a way to survive. I wasn't initially invited to the meeting, but the new leader of the Resistance had sent someone to find me in the run-down hut. The new leader wanted to meet me in private before I came to the meeting.

I was surprised to see Monique leading them. She told me Kimberly had died during the infighting. As much as I hated Kimberly as a foe, I still respected her as a leader, warrior, and former friend. I consoled my former friend, as even I felt the loss of the redhead.

Monique told me of all the plans that were going to be proposed. The only one that caught my attention was Justine Flanner's.

The genius wanted to attempt time travel. When she told everyone at the meeting this, she was laughed at, even though she already had the machine's blueprints. But one voice spoke in her favor, Sensei. He told everyone of Tempus Simia, the Time Monkey. It was an ancient artifact that could rip open the fabrics of space and time. He had this strange look directed at me the whole time he was speaking.

He said this artifact, with Justine's machine, could very well work in the short amount of time we had. Justine told Sensei that she had no experience with otherworldly and mystical energies.

My deceased protégé's family offered their help since they had created many technologies that interacted with the supernatural and had the experience to configure the machine to the Tempus Simia.

Within a year, the machine was built and the Tempus Simia had been located. Everyone was excited about giving humanity a second chance at life, but apparently there was a catch.

Only one person could go and that person had to be able to activate the Tempus Simia. Someone blessed with the full power of the Mystical Monkey Powers. And everyone knew I was that person. Sensei was always a sneaky old bastard.

Many were resistant to this and demanded to find a way to transfer my powers to another. They even threatened to destroy the machine instead of allowing me into the past. Within a few minutes, they were put down by Yamanouchi ninjas that were hiding.

I finished my shower as I stopped recalling the past. After changing in my room, I picked up my phone to see that cheerleading practice was done. It was time to meet up with my partner in crime.

* * *

**(Rockwaller Residence)**

After arriving at Bonnie's abode, I found myself hungry. I should have eaten before I came. I asked could I use the kitchen to fix something to eat. She didn't care, as long I didn't make a big mess.

While I was there, I noticed an assortment of knives held in a wooden block. I had taken them all out and placed them on the counter to appraise the quality of the knives. I decided they were all above average.

Light footsteps alerted to me of Bonnie's approaching presence. She came in and looked at all the knives. Then had a questioning and confused look for me.

"Your knives are pretty nice," I said.

"You know Kim was looking for you during practice, right?" Bonnie asked, ignoring my compliment.

I shrugged indifferently. I didn't care. "I'll tell her tomorrow that I am quitting."

"Why? Pressure getting to you?"

I laughed. Being a mascot wasn't ever pressuring, especially since I barely had to do anything past five minutes once per game. "It's a waste of time for me. I have better things to do."

Bonnie snorted. "Like what? Stuffing your face with your pet rat and playing video games?"

"Nope. I've been working out and getting ahead of schoolwork." I saw a hint of interest emerge in her eyes.

She walked past me and grabbed ahold of one of the knives. "What brought on this change?"

I told her how I was tired of being looked down upon. I had the capabilities to be something greater and I wasn't going to waste them. I wanted to improve for myself and show my greatness to others. She simply smiled at my explanation.

"And the main way to do that is distance yourself from people who don't push you to greater things and rather have you be complacent," she said.

I faked being slightly uncomfortable with her statement. "I do need friends who challenge me."

She put down the knife and slung her arm around my shoulder. "So you believe we are friends?"

"Not yet. I think we are in transition from openly hostile to a friendly association," was my answer.

She detached herself from me. "Good answer. Why focus on working out? With all the rigorous physical activity you do due to those missions with Kim, you're fit. It's obvious from how easily you can do agile movements that take a few months for new cheerleaders."

Now she's giving compliments? She's really trying to coax more information out of me, so she can supposedly put in a wedge in Kimberly's friendship with me. Too bad for her that our friendship is already broken, we just never realized as kids. She couldn't get the joy she wanted from separating us.

"Thanks, but I've got to be a better sidekick for KP. I don't want to be a liability."

I explained my "distraction" role in the missions and how I was the one to cause the destruction of most of the doomsday machines and lairs.

"So if I heard you right, Kim gains the attention of the most dangerous foes, which allows you to get past the weaklings of the group and destroy the machines. Right?" she asked. I nodded.

"You do realize she is actually being the distraction? She's like a hired muscle, she does the heavy lifting of the job, but not the important job. Which is stopping those madmen! You do that! You're the hero, Ron!"

I feigned surprise at her explanation.

"She takes all of your hard-earned glory, not telling one person of your contributions. I might be a bitch, but I don't downplay or take credit for my so-called best friend's achievements."

"And here I thought she was a good friend. No wonder you've always had low self-esteem during high school. I thought you didn't do anything useful on the missions since you were never mentioned on the news."

I kept my expression of surprise on my face, but inwardly I was smiling. Bonnie kept on ranting.

"She always trying to seem like she has the moral high ground, but she is no better than all the other cheerleaders trying to be at the top," she yelled, louder than before, "No! She's worse than us!"

Bonnie went on another tangent about Kimberly using her friends as stepping stones, but I had stopped listening. Bonnie had suddenly gained a strange purple aura around her. And it got more visible the more the brunette got angry.

"And you just let her stomp all over you!" she yelled, pointing a finger at me.

A second later and the clang of metal, the kitchen knives were scattered on the floor. All damaged or destroyed.

I had summoned the Lotus Blade on instinct to defend myself from the onslaught of kitchenware. I then had pinned her down to the ground, with the Lotus Blade pressed against her neck.

Both of us stared at each other in disbelief. There was silence as we held our breaths. I could feel her trembling beneath me, showing her fear of me. And that strangely didn't give me any satisfaction, but instead an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. Similar to guilt, for some reason.

I got off her, apologizing for my behavior.

She got up shakily, obviously disturbed by the recent events. It's not every day your life gets threatened and your secret powers are revealed at once.

"Bonnie, I'm not going to tell anyone," I said, gaining her attention. Her eyes still held fear of me, bothering me even more. "Not even Kimberly."

"No one would believe you anyway! Everyone knows you have an overactive imagination! And I would then tell everyone about your freakish powers. Then even Kim wouldn't want to be around you!"

She bounced back from the situation quickly. Good.

"What are you smiling about?" she yelled, some of her aura returning.

"I'm just happy to finally meet someone who isn't intent of inflicting bodily damage to me with powers also!" I answered, "I want to train you so you can control your powers."

Her aura disappeared. Bonnie scowled in response. "You don't even have control over yours! What help could you possibly be?"

I summoned the Lotus Blade and some of my battle aura. "I reacted on reflex."

Moving at speeds undetectable to the human eye, I appeared behind Bonnie.

"I have complete control when, where, why, and how my powers activate, unlike you," I whispered into her ear.

She screamed as she turned around, pushing my chest to make space. No avail, but I saw at the last second that her hands were glowing purple. I suddenly feel a great amount of air pressure against me, about to push me back.

Using the same technique as before, I appeared a good distance behind Bonnie this time, slightly off balance. I heard a loud boom from where I previously stood.

"No more popping up behind you. I rather not get flung into a wall," I told her, "If you let me train you, you would have surely have hit me."

"Why are you offering me this?" she asked, eyes burning with suspicion, "After everything I have done and said to you."

"Squandering my chances at gaining some trivial popularity and mean words won't make me hold a grudge. Plus, I would hate for someone with such powers be mistreated because of ignorance and fear. We both are meant for greater things, Bonnie. These normal people cannot achieve the same things us," I explained, "We need to stick together."

Bonnie just huffed and puffed for a minute before replying. "What's next? You're going to try to befriend that green lady next?"

"When she stops throwing radiated balls of death at me, I'll try!"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Only you."

"So do you accept?"

"I guess," Bonnie answered, "Only because I don't want to have an accident around Tara and Hope. They'll probably freak, considering the whole Gill incident."

This little victory caused me to naturally express my childhood goofy grin. I was about to declare training started now until I heard a familiar beeping noise.

"Who is it this time?" I asked, naturally adopting a commanding tone.

"Hello to you too, Ron," Wade said sarcastically, aggravated by my tone, "It's Dementor."

"My pick up's ETA?" I asked, not changing my tone. I hated being interrupted when I was making good progress.

"5 minutes. Kim has your mission clothes."

I ended the call after telling him I had brought a change of clothes.

"Seems like we will have to start training tomorrow, Bonnie," I told the brunette, "Mind if I use a room to change?"

"You can use the guestroom on this floor," she said, before walking off. I followed her across the manor to the guestroom. I quickly changed and let Bonnie lead me to the front door. As I opened the door, Bonnie grabbed a hold of me. I turned around to see what she wanted.

"If you get back before one, call me," Bonnie whispered, as she stuffed something in my pocket. She backed away and closed the door.

I moved towards my transportation, a helicopter, I saw Kim. Arms crossed and a scowl on her face. And I knew there was a myriad of reasons why she was upset. Two are my fault and one belongs to Bonnie.

"What was that about?" She asked as I got on the helicopter.

I shrugged. I didn't want to deal with her mood. "KP, I'm tired and I had to deal with Bonnie for three hours. Can the questions wait until later?"

"Whatever," she said dismissively.

I smiled. "Thanks, KP."

"But we will talk." That tone held no room for argument. She would probably hunt me down if I tried to dodge her after the mission.

I was going to hate that conversation. I decided to nap on the way to the mission, instead of dealing with this stifling silence. Minutes later, I saw refreshing darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

**(Rockwaller Residence)**

Today was another day of training with Bonnie. We had decided to normally do it in her backyard since it was very spacious. Plus, the swimming pool was a nice bonus to enjoy afterward.

I watched Bonnie lay cross-legged, deep in meditation. Or so I thought, as her normally perfect posture slackened a little. It was almost unnoticeable, but I could always see it. But I did admit that she was getting better at hiding when she fell asleep. I picked up one of the many rubber balls I brought and threw it at her head.

She instantly woke up, before scowling at me and making her back facing me. Not my fault she kept falling asleep so much.

I had started training the cheerleader a few days ago, after getting her medical records. Which Wade conveniently had already, due to the Camp Wannaweep incident. The hacker was very extremely organized, having a mission log for every mission. Everything sorted by date.

After getting hit by Gill's slime, which supposedly mutated people, every one of the cheerleaders was had extensive checks on them to see if they were affected. Bonnie had grown one abnormality near the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. According to Dr. Possible, it could lead to many major mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia or extreme depression. Bonnie was to be checked extensively and periodically. She had a monthly examination with Dr. Possible.

"When will I do something other than stupid meditation?" an annoyed Bonnie asked.

"When you can maintain levitating these weights, yourself, and the boulder for thirty minutes. Each time you fail, you do thirty minutes of meditation," I repeated to her. She had already asked me the same question about five times today."

"I've mediated already!"

"You fell asleep, again. Go back to your exercises."

"I hate you and your heightened sensitivity," she muttered, as she began her levitation again, "To think I would be learning anything from you."

A loud smack followed that remark. Bonnie had lost concentration again, due to me this time.

She turned around and glared at me. "Why did you hit me?"

I smiled. "Cause of your smart mouth. You can't get smart with me. I'm your teacher!"

A flare of purple aura erupted from her. Anger always seems to bring the more potent side of her powers.

"Just because you're teaching me doesn't give you the right to act like you're better than me! My powers are going to soon match yours and you'll be sorry then."

I walked over to her and got in her face. Blue eyes staring at Purple eyes. I felt a strange tickling feeling going down my spine.

"Until then you're going to be a good little student and listen to whatever your wise teacher has to say."

I patted her head and walked away. Hearing the unnatural whooshing of the wind, I found myself dodging two flying objects. It was the two weights.

They stopped mid-flight and came back towards me. I tried to simply sidestep out of the way when they came back, but it seemed Bonnie had gained a new level of control on the spot.

I was forced to jump out of the way. The weights easily followed, and I could hear Bonnie crackling in the background.

I found myself using various agile movements to dodge the damn weights. I then jumped onto the diving board and flew into the air. I had to shift my body weight to avoid being hit. I could have sliced the weights into two or just grabbed them, but I wanted to test Bonnie and see her limits.

When I landed, the weights had fallen dot the ground nearby. I guess using the weights like heat-seeking missiles for minutes on end had exhausted Bonnie. She was now on her back, panting and gasping for oxygen.

"Practice is over for the day. You surprised me at the end," I said as I stood over her.

"Finally. After you first learned of my powers, nothing seemed to surprise you anymore," she said as she attempted to get up. She quickly fell back down due to exhaustion.

I watched her she tried again at standing up. I bent down and scooped her up in my arms, bridal style.

She attempted to squirm out of my grip, but to no avail. "What are you doing?"

"Taking you inside. You can't walk on your own right now," I answered, "Bedroom or den?"

"Bedroom. I rather not be found knocked out when my sisters return tonight."

I nodded in understanding. "It's only been three days and your control has significantly improved. You are excelling at this."

Bonnie smirked, before letting out a yawn. "Of course someone as great as me is getting this down in no time!"

I smiled at the half asleep, but still smirking brunette. With her powers, she would be better than the Bonnie of my time.

I'm glad she didn't have a myriad of phobias and anxiety problems like I did when The Supreme One started training me. The lack of those probably made it much easier to grasp control of her powers compared to the teenage me. I wonder what the full extent of her powers was going to be.

About the time I made it to her bedroom, she had fallen asleep. I gently laid her down on her bed and covered her with the sheets.

My stomach growled in hunger, I decided to fix me something to eat. And something for Bonnie as a reward. Rewards always motivated allies to keep excelling.

After making it to the kitchen and raiding the pantry, I found myself wanting from the breakfast menu.

Gathering the necessary materials, such as eggs and flour, I started on my task, cooking. It was still a favorite activity of mine.

Even when I was second in command of the Regime, I still cooked my own meals. And the Supreme One liked me to cook for her often.

Soon I was done with my cooking. On each plate were three stacked blueberry pancakes, hash browns, and an omelet filled with green and red peppers, lightly seasoned with black pepper and salt.

It was all I could scrape together from the measly pickings and lack of fresh ingredients. I was so used to having everything I wanted to cook with at my fingertips.

Gathering the plates and utensils, I went back to Bonnie's room. I saw she had just woken up. She had just finished stretching when I got there.

"Had a good nap?" I asked, "You were awfully cute when you were snuggled in my chest earlier."

Bonnie looked away from me, trying to hide her embarrassment. "It was an accident. I see you ordered some food."

I let out an exaggerated gasp. "Me? Order out? I thought you knew me better than that BonBon. After all the meals I cooked after Temple. I'm insulted."

Bonnie snorted. "Don't be such a drama queen. And don't call me that stupid name! You knew I was kidding. Now give me my plate!"

I handed the ravenous brunette a plate.

"Did you ever think about opening your own restaurant when you get out of high school?" she asked after a few bites.

That question made unwanted memories enter my mind. I once had been the head of food services for school for about two weeks. After my culinary talents had earned me the position of home economics teacher, Mr. Barkin had tasted my food and saw how I changed the classroom into a five-star restaurant, he suggested to the principal to take over cafeteria also. The principal agreed after tasting my food.

All the teachers, students, and faculty loved my food. I had felt somewhat successful for once and had pride in something I accomplished without Kimberly's help or association.

A health inspector had arrived unexpectedly one day and found Rufus serving food. I wasn't allowed to cook anymore for school then. Everyone was then forced once again to eat the monstrous globs the cafeteria ladies called food. I then found out a few years later than Kimberly had been the one to call the health inspector and told them that it was rat-infested. Stupid girl.

I felt someone grasping my shoulder, in a comforting manner, but when I looked, there was no hand. I just saw Bonnie, staring at me worriedly. Why was she worried?

"You okay? You just kind of spaced out and was frowning something fierce."

I gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm good. I was thinking about all the business classes I would have to take if I wanted to run a restaurant efficiently. Half of it will be unnecessary prerequisites for the actual advanced material I need."

Not that I really needed to go to college. My experience with The Regime and handling countless soldiers, supplies, and infrastructure was more than enough.

"It won't be too bad. You'll breeze through the first couple of semesters. You got the brains for it, just got to stop being so lazy."

"School is overrated," I said dismissively, causing the girl to frown.

"No teacher of mine is going to be some uneducated fool! That reflects badly on me!"

Of course she as concerned about her image and reputation. "No one even knows I'm teaching you or what I'm teaching you. The only people who know I'll be here is your family. You could just tell that I'll just be coming to visit a lot."

"That might work with your parents, but not mine. My parents, especially my dad, would want to know why a BOY is coming almost every day. After this project is done in a few days, what conceivable reason are you going to have to be around me all the time? Us seemingly being friends is the only way my family is going to accept you being here so much."

She then went on about changing my wardrobe, again. Should be at an acceptable level where I'll be presentable at all time. What's with women and clothes? What had I gotten myself into?

* * *

**(Later that evening)**

Jack had informed me of something interesting today after I left Bonnie's and returned home. Fiske had recently ordered plane tickets to the state of Chiapas in Mexico during his monitoring of the crazed English Lord. He also learned the man was searching for an artifact in an Aztec temple in the Lacandon Jungle, per "Big Daddy" Brotherson.

I quickly grabbed my gear, which was my battle suit and a few gadgets, and headed out to the warehouse Jack had in Upperton.

My subordinate had already readied a group of henchmen and a hovercraft for me. The group and I arrived at the designated location in about an hour and a half, making it well before Fiske. I wanted to take care of the egomaniacal piece of trash, but now it was too early.

The hovercraft was landed outside a clearing of the Lacandon Jungle. I walked out, with the henchmen following behind, was monetarily stunned by the beauty. I was too used to my destroyed world at this point.

I decided to take an appraising look at the henchmen. They were overly buff, but it made their stature and size intimidating to most. They were brainless brawlers, with no fighting skill whatsoever. And they were Jack's elite men. What a joke. They weren't true warriors.

I kept walking into the jungle, with the goons following me. I had to commend them on their discipline though. They walked through the jungle with no complaints or signs of nervousness, amidst all the animal and other strange noises. Jack knew how to properly discipline his men; I'll give him that.

Depending on how well these men did during this mission, I'll have them recommended as potentials for my advanced troops. One of the cybernetically enhanced ones, their intelligence wasn't high enough for the supernaturally enhanced.

Their feeble minds would be damaged and they would probably go insane. I didn't want a repeat of the first batch of my Vanguard shock troopers.

Within half an hour, we had reached the temple. It was relatively small, only about two stories high. The entrance was blocked by two stone depictions of the famous Aztec Jaguar Warrior.

The statues' eyes glowed red suddenly and became animated. The living statues rushed towards me and the goons ran in front to attempt to protect me.

I watched in disgust as these henchmen attempted to fight the stone warriors. They were wildly swinging at the warriors. Warriors made of stone. They thought fist would beat stone.

I heard one's fingers break as he punched a statue in the face. He was then knocked out by the club made of stone.

A group of them tried to pin the other statue down. The statue easily shook them off before beating them senseless. The last of the henchmen were defeated soon after.

At least their morale didn't break. I shook my head before summoning the Lotus Blade. I morphed it into a maul before attacking the statues. Unable to keep up with my speed, I smashed both statues into pieces.

I walked towards the entrance, leaving unconscious fools to their fates. Not my problem if they get eaten by jaguars or some other predator. The doors glowed blue and slid opened as I approached.

Inside the temple, there were numerous murals dedicated to Aztec culture and religion. Nothing I cared about though. The only thing I cared about to lead though. The only thing I cared about lead to a body of water. Stairs going downwards.

Great. A sunken temple and I was on the top floor. This was going to be a long dive.

I'm glad I made extensive modifications to my battle suit. The original format was too simple and didn't accomplish anything other protection. I had replaced the Kevlar with titanium-dipped tri-weave fiber mesh. This allowed for greater protection and flexibility.

My helmet had various communication networks and devices built within, all of which could be voice-activated. It also had an air filter system within, so I didn't have those bulky canisters on the side like an actual gas mask. I was immune to chemical and gas attacks.

But I still attach canisters, like the ones I was attaching now. They held oxygen, which would allow me to dive into this temple. I estimated about an hour of air time.

I still had many upgrades to go, but most of the technology hadn't been developed yet. But what I had would do now for the moment.

I walked down the stairs unit I was submerged up to my chest. I then dived into the water.

It was pitch black underwater, even for my heightened eyesight. I had to activate the more power to see in this complete darkness. I then saw that this sunken temple was filled with aquatic life.

As I swam, some of the damn fish had surrounded me, obviously curious about what I was. As long as none of them were going to bite, I didn't care what they did.

I searched for the presence of mystical energy within the underwater temple, finding it not too far below me. I swam in that general direction.

I found myself in a room filled with many small chests. The murals on the wall showed naked humans, all in the fetal position for whatever reason. That was some creepy artwork.

I went for the chest that held mystical energy. Inside was grey of a glob of unknown substance covering a dagger.

I took the dagger out and gave it a glance over. Nothing special from the looks of it, but I could feel the connection it had to the Mystical Monkey Power. The thing was probably just a backup weapon.

I was forced to swim backward as the grey glob tried to attack me. It had formed a hand like structure to try to subdue me. I saw the other chests open and more grey hands came out.

Nope. It was time to leave! Luckily for me, these weird hand globs moved extremely slow.

As I swam back to the top, increasingly high numbers of those strange things kept popping out of nowhere. This only increased my pace.

I finally made it to the top. I relished being out of the water and away from those abominations. The goons had woken up and were idly standing by the entrance.

As soon as I walked out, the Earth started rumbling. I looked behind me to see the rest of the temple sinking into the ground.

I ordered the henchmen to hurry back to the hovercraft. I didn't want to be around when the authorities came to investigate the disturbance. And I had to avoid Fiske too. He would recognize me just by sensing my powers.

* * *

**(Upperton)**

The group of goons and I had just landed in the warehouse. I dismissed the useless men, heading to my car to leave, and go home.

"Incoming call from a recognized number of Bonnie Rockwaller. Personal cell phone," the flat voice of my suit's A.I. told me.

Now, why would Bonnie be calling me right now? It was near ten o'clock. This better be important. I told her to only call this number in case of emergencies. "Yes, Bonnie?"

"Glad you picked up, Ronald," she said. She's using my proper first name, must be important then. I could hear muffled music in the and various yelling voices. "I was wondering if I could crash at your place tonight since your parents are on a business trip."

"Why me? Why not Tara or Hope?" I asked. I knew I couldn't be her first choice. "Why do you even need to be out of the house?"

"Because Mister Reliable, my sisters are throwing a party with heir college friends, since our parents are gone on vacation. I don't feel comfortable in a house filled to the brim with drunken and horny strangers."

"Tara and Hope are both asleep. Apparently, Kim worked the team extra hard for no reason. I didn't go because I wanted to complete some extra training before you arrived."

Skipping practice for more training? She was all about becoming a master in her powers.

I'm still somewhat surprised she caller on me for help. This was a rare opportunity to gain a substantial amount of trust in me. I couldn't pass it up.

"I'm not at home right now, but I'll be back in about fifteen minutes," I told her.

"Where are you at this time of night? You coming back from a mission?"

"No. I'm coming back from Upperton."

"…Why were you there?" she asked, confusion laced in her voice.

"Reasons. Do you want me to pick you up from your house?" I asked.

"Sure."

"I'll call you when I'm outside."

"Thanks, Ron." She sounded immensely relieved.

"No problem, Bonnie," I said. I hung up the phone and walked off to a bathroom to change. After changing and placing my stuff in the trunk, I got inside my car and drove to Bonnie's.

While I was driving, I kept examining the dagger from the ruins. It held power and I needed to find out how to extract. I didn't have training with Bonnie tomorrow, so I would perform the awakening ritual then and see what my trial was.

The awakening ritual was something I had learned from Yamanouchi. It was used to evoke the power from artifacts, which usually then be transferred to the performer of the ritual or target of the performer's choice. Only after the trial had been completed.

Most trials were just fighting some ghostly form of the artifact's owner. But sometimes there were overly complicated tests involved, such as finding long lost objects or some philosophical riddle.

Hopefully, I just get battle. The foes from the trials were always worthy opponents, being warriors of their time. I was itching for a good fight,

I had just made it to Bonnie's house. I called her. And called her. No answer.

I parked my car on the side of the road, with all the other numerous cars, owned by the party goers. Putting on the hood of my jacket on my head, I walked up to the door and went inside.

The manor reeked of alcohol, sweat, and musk. Disgusting and it was made worse with booming music.

"Hey man!" some obviously drunk male said to me, slinging his arm over me. "Awesome party, right?"

"Sure," I said, as I shook his arm off and moved away. The place was congested and I found people bumping into me as I tried to head upstairs. I found myself wanting to force my way through, not squirming through like some insect.

I finally found myself at Bonnie's door. I called again, and still received no answer. But I could hear yelling coming from inside the room.

I pulled out one of the tools I always have on me, a set of lock picks. My days of being The Supreme One's partner in crime before we made the Regime had us always sneaking into all sorts of locked areas. I pressed my body against the door to hide my illegal actions, just in case someone came upstairs. The door opened easily.

I quietly entered the room, to see Brick and Bonnie yelling at each other. I closed the door behind me and moved into a dark corner to hide myself. Easy to pull off since the two were distracted.

I examined Brick, wondering why he was here. His face was flushed and his eyes had a dazed look about them. Signs of intoxication.

"Babe, let's stop fighting and have some fun tonight at my place. You already have a change of clothes packed in that bag," the football player was barely able to slur out, "I'll be gentle!"

"No! I just caught you kissing that junior the other day!" she told him, "Now get out!"

The large male was upset when Bonnie told him to leave. He grabbed her arm, but as soon as he did, his family jewels were crushed. This caused him to let go and Bonnie took the opportunity to punch him in the face.

The unnaturally loud smacking noise and the distance he went let me know Bonnie had used some of her powers. The athlete was knocked into the wall and his body slumped over, signaling he was unconscious.

"Good job Bonnie," I said as I emerged from the shadows.

Bonnie turned around, glowing purple. I was suddenly unable to move. Her aura dissipated when she noticed it was me.

"Don't scare me like that, Ron! Popping out of the shadows like some ninja!" she yelled, "I've already knocked out one blonde today, I can go for another."

"You wouldn't be able to hold me long enough to hit," I said, already see beads of sweat on her foreheads. "And if you hadn't handled the situation with the oaf, I would have."

"I can obviously handle myself," she said, but I could tell she liked hearing that I was going to protect her if she needed me too. I noticed she was cradling her hand she used to punch Brick.

"Give me your hand," I commanded her. When she did as I said, I noticed some swelling starting to emerge. I placed my hands over hers before allowing my powers to flow over it. I heard a sigh of relief after a minute or so.

I released her had to see the swelling was gone. "I'm going to have to show how to defend yourself without your powers."

She nodded. "My door was locked. How did you get in?"

"Picked the locked," I told her, as I picked up her backpack.

"I didn't know Heroes knew the criminal skill of lock picking."

I smirked at her. "I'm no hero, Bonnie. I'm a sidekick, I don't have a code of honor to follow."

"I'm guessing Kim doesn't know how to do that and doesn't know you have the skill."

"Yep."  
She stared at Brick for a few seconds. "What are we going to do about him? I would say carry him to his car and leave him there, but my sisters would notice."

I definitely wanted to avoid them. "I could just toss him into the hall. He would be up by tomorrow. Your sisters' posse would easily get him out of the house. Then we could just leave."

She agreed, putting on a hoodie. With both of our faces concealed, we left her room, with Brick in tow. I dropped him like a sack of potatoes in the hallway before going downstairs.

We left the manor with no trouble, no one paid attention to us. Good.

"My hand still hurts a little. Could you do whatever you did earlier?" she asked. I obliged her, grasping her injured hand. It didn't seem to hurt when I touched it, but I still used my powers. When I did, her fingers curled around mine and she didn't let go until we made it to my place.


	7. Chapter 7

**(Middleton High)**

I scanned the hallways to see if anyone was here. Empty. Good, I didn't want anyone to see me enter the school with him. We walked towards the library.

I wasn't opposed to the ideas as I once was, especially after last night. How many guys would let a girl sleep in his bed without trying to get in the girl's pants? He even slept on the couch to make sure I was comfortable. Then made breakfast for me! I just wasn't ready for the rumors that would spread.

The last week I have spent with him, I 've gotten to know a totally different person. He's devious, driven, dangerous, mocking, and intelligent. He's always had the smarts, just never used them to their fullest potential. He'd just liked to scrape by in the advanced courses. I don't understand why someone places themselves in the harder classes if they weren't going to try to excel.

I always thought he was a super softie and somewhat of a coward. But he could muster up some courage, when the situation called for it. Like Camp Wannaweep and that mutant fish guy.

Tara had started to crush on him since then. Well, crush more I should say. At first, she crushed on him because he was cute. Something I agreed with. But after Gill, it went to knight-in-shining-armor.

I didn't like that because I didn't believe any girl needed some like that. That was some fantasy from all the fairy tales that depicted the hero as saving princesses from dragons and other monsters.

I wasn't a helpless girl. If I could save myself, then I would happily do it. I wanted a man that saw me as an equal.

But I did appreciate being saved and helped, contrary to popular opinion. Everyone thought I was just stereotypical popularity obsessed, ungrateful, cruel, and evil head cheerleader of the school. The one who ruled over her so-called friends, just using them to position herself at the top of the school's food chain.

Idiots. I kept up the façade to keep people who would try to use me far away. I used my position to keep those same people away from the few friends, especially Tara. She was just so sweet and nice. She always had my back for years. She was my first real friend, never trying to use me to get to my father. It was something I appreciated and always wanted when I was younger. I wanted to always keep her safe. Always.

Hope was a highly ambitious girl. She wanted to become a dentist and have her own practice. She had already planned the colleges she wanted to attend and where she would start her practice.

I liked that. Highly ambitious people were always going somewhere. People who were okay with just accepting what they got out of life with no effort were not worth my time. Why hang around with someone who wasn't willing to work for their goals?

That's why I was so interested in this new Ron. Or the true Ron, I guess. He had changed from a nobody slacker to my super-powered instructor overnight. I was intrigued to find out what changed him so much in so little time.

I remember the first time I activated my powers around him. At him was more accurate. The second those knives flew, I was scared out being ousted as a freak and for his life. I couldn't explain how relieved and shocked I was when he materialized that katana of his out of thin air. I watched in awe as he easily blocked each knife.

Then I experienced a level of fear like no other before. I was on the ground with Ron on top of me, holding the katana to my neck. The look in his shining blue eyes, which were usually brown, showed me how close I came to dying. He was ready to finish me off, as a reflex. Not something he was consciously doing, but subconsciously. Like he was used to people trying to kill him.

Which might be true, since he does go on those world-saving missions with Kim. I have made the redhead extremely angry and seemed to make her want to hit me, but she never had that murderous look in her eye. I don't even think she could kill someone on purpose. Maybe on accident. But Ron could either way. I just know it.

I thought it was because that he might not have the same level of control as Kim, but his mastery of his powers and how he stopped his blade from slicing my throat says otherwise. A centimeter more and blood would be flowing down my neck. I could feel the unnaturally sharp blade pricking against my skin. His level of control was way above Kim's.

That's why when he offered to train me, I accepted. I had come close to killing him on accident. I didn't like not having control of something I possessed. I knew this something I could and needed to master.

His training was harsh. He did not start it off easy. Pelting me with various hard objects, while I mediated was extremely annoying. He said it was to strengthen my mind and concentration. Since my powers were mentally based, those two attributes were the most important. Then he smiled wickedly, which sent a chill down my spine, saying the physical training would start afterward.

Sometimes when I supposed to be meditating, I would catch him staring off in the distance. Not daydreaming though. His face was scrunched in concentration and his eyes glowing blue and calculating. He would catch me staring and his eyes turned back brown. He was always planning something but never wanted to share.

I wanted to know what he was thinking and I wanted in on his plans. I didn't what they were, but I knew it was going to change the world. My intuition told me. I always knew when somebody was worth something. I saw it with Kim, my sisters, my father, Tara, and Hope.

Every time I took a glance in his eyes, shining blue with his otherworldly power, I felt invigorated. Like energy I had lost had suddenly been regained. The need to get closer to that power getting stronger each time.

At don't get me started when he used his powers beneficially on me, like healing some minor wounds and bruise. I always felt a little stronger afterward, so I tried to get him to use them on me anytime I could.

Maybe when I have gotten a hold of my powers and proved myself, he would open up to me more. Tell me about what he has planned. He had been vague when I asked him about his future. Never giving me anything concrete.

I laughed inwardly. Never thought there would be a day where I would be trying to prove myself to someone I thought was beneath me, especially Ronald Stoppable.

I glanced over to the blonde. He was wearing his terrible red jersey and khaki get up. Something about not overloading Kim, since he's officially going to quit his mascot gig today.

"You're not going to need help with dealing with the big bad green-eyed monster?" I asked, "You know how irrational she can be sometimes."

Ron grimaced. "I know all too well. But I can handle her. Have Tara and Hope arrived?"

"Trying to get rid of your favorite student already?" I asked teasingly. I checked my phone and saw two messages telling me they were here.

"You're my only student."

"Which automatically makes me your favorite!"

He smiled while shaking his head. His true smile was infectious and I found myself grinning too.

"Of course not Bonnie. I just don't want them to accidentally stumble on us. With you leaning on my shoulder and clutching my arm in this quiet corner of the library, Tara could get the wrong idea. That would be hard to explain."

I let go of him, not even knowing I had gotten so close. How embarrassing. Now he probably thinks I liked him or something.

"That was an accident! So don't get the wrong idea, mister!" I almost yelled, before remembering where I was. I didn't want to bring attention to us. But I hammered in the point by poking him in his surprisingly hard and toned chest while I was speaking.

I got up and left. Not even saying goodbye. He would understand that I was in a hurry. He was the one to remind me of my friends anyway.

I was glad to be out that compromising position though. If Tara saw me, I couldn't have handled it. She would have stared at me with betrayal and sad puppy eyes. Liked I had kicked her while she was down. And nothing was even going on!

Minutes later, I was at my locker with my two true friends, Tara, and Hope. I treasured them.

"Are you okay, Bonnie?" Tara asked worriedly, "I saw you had called numerous times last night."

"We're sorry we didn't pick up. Kim seemed extra peeved and took her frustration on us," Hope explained, "Probably had to do with her little lap dog missing practice the last few days."

I bit my tongue, about to defend Ronnie. I'll just let Tara do it for me.

"Don't talk about Ron like that!" Tara said.

"Kim's his friend, best friend at that. Shouldn't he be there to calm her down? Plus, he's the mascot, so he needs to be at practice anyway!"

"He's not going to be much longer," I said.

"What? Why?" Tara asked.

"And how do you know this?" Hope asked right after.

The two were staring at for answers. Tara seemed somewhat sad he was leafing, while Hope was obviously puzzled on how I knew this.

"He doesn't feel like he does enough to warrant to be there and feels like it's a waste of time. He rather works on his school work and gets better grades," I answered.

"I'm guessing he told you this?" Hope asked. I nodded. "Why you of all people? You put him down all the time."

"Which is totally unnecessary," Tara muttered, "He's a good guy."

"He and Kim are having a little falling out. Something about her not appreciating the things he does for her as her best friend and teammate," I said, "He wants to show her that he isn't going treated badly without repercussions."

"Sounds he wants to get back at her," Tara said. I told her that was what he planned. "You aren't going to actually help him, are you?"

"Tara, he just wants the proper respect and consideration as her best friend," I explained before Tara exploded and went on a tirade. She could seriously defensive about Ronnie, sometimes. "It's nothing serious. They're going still be best buds and stuff after this."

Tara seemed unconvinced, but she didn't question me anymore. She knew me too well.

"So how's the project going with the loser anyway?" Hope asked, getting a glare from Tara. I bristled at the insult because he wasn't a loser anymore. But I couldn't show I was bothered. If I did, Tara and Hope would have a million more questions to be answered.

"He's actually not procrastinating for once, so we're pretty much done," I answered, "Probably due to his new mindset on school."

Hope smirked at me, "I'm sure you kicked his butt into gear. He wouldn't do it himself."

I smirked back. "Of course."

"I'm just glad you two are getting somewhat along for once," Tara said, "I thought I would have to call Kim one day to save you or him."

You don't know how close you are Tara about me having been saved one day from him. Luckily for me, he stopped himself.

"He isn't so bad." Hope and Tara looked at me strangely.

"When he isn't being a total slob or being Miss Perfect's pet," I quickly added.

Tara then asked me a plethora of questions about the blonde boy. I mean young man. Boy was the wrong choice of words. A young man fits him better. Most of the questions were things she wanted to know how to impress him. Like his favorite color, food, likes, and dislikes. Stuff I knew from years of being around him. But her constant questioning made me uncomfortable.

"You sure know a lot about Ron," Hope quipped. Something about her tone of voice threw me off. Sounded like suspicion.

"You have to remember I've known the guy since childhood. We go to the same Temple and our fathers are childhood friends. Plus, my sisters' used to babysit him a lot. So he's kind of like a family friend," I explained. Everything I said was true.

"Why didn't you ever tell me this?" Tara asked, "You knew I liked him and you were a gold mine of information."

Tara had her hurt puppy eyes mode turned on. It was way worse than Kim's puppy dog pout. Or maybe it was because I cared about Tara.

"I didn't think it was a good idea for you to date someone whose loyalty was all given to another female that he wasn't even dating. I felt like if she pressured him not to date you, he would cave in," I told her, "You know I'm always looking out for you, Tara."

Tara glomped me. "You're my best friend Bonnie. I never tell you that enough."

"Do you think he's dateable now?" she asked hopefully.

"Give him some time. We have to see if he's growing a backbone or this is a onetime incident," I told her.

She let go and grinned happily.

"Never thought I would see a bottom feeder like Ron get the Bonnie stamp of approval," Hope said.

"He isn't approved."

Hope laughed. "He's pretty damn close."

As the three of us walked off, I felt something unsettling hit me. I felt uncomfortable with the idea of Tara dating Ron.

I knew why though. He wasn't the knight in shining armor Tara thought he was. I mean, he would definitely protect her and was able to. I can't really think of anyone harming her with him at her side. I just don't think Ron would meld well with her. That was the reason. Right? To protect her? Right.


	8. Chapter 8

**(Airborne Vessel)**

Silence. Something I normally coveted around Kimberly. But now, it was strange. Because she was the one who demanded it.

She didn't want to speak to me, ever since I quit the mascot role. She only spoke when necessary. Like telling me about this mission.

We had to stop Drakken this time. He was going to release a patch of mutated piranha fish into the world's ocean. Their mutation allowed them to chew through steel and other metals easily. The fish would be used to sink all ships that dared to cross any of the oceans of this world.

And he had created some sort of cloning device. So he had the means to produce massive quantities of the mutants to terrorize the world.

He wanted to use the piranhas as an intimidation attempt for the world governments to turn over power to him. I wonder if he knew piranhas were freshwater fish, not saltwater.

Cloning. That sent a shudder down my spine. I remember when The Regime tried cloning. All the human clones were failures because of three reasons. They were either horribly disfigured, mentally unstable, or had rapid aging. Or some combination of the three.

I was glad when The Supreme One pulled the plug on that project. The number of resources to perfect the technique was going to be a major drain on our resources, which were used for more pressing concerns. Like rebuilding much of the world after a long ten-year war with the last remaining nations.

The Supreme One. It's been a while since I've taken the time to ponder on her. I wonder what would she think of what I was doing.

Was my progress too slow or too fast? Was it right to brainwash Jack? Would it have been better to just dispose of him and set a public figurehead, whose strings were to be pulled? And what about Bonnie?

I banished these questions. She hated when her subordinates second-guessed themselves. She rather you chose a decision, stick with it, and face the consequences. Unless there was a better option that was as plain as day.

I knew she would have been disgusted with me on how I acted after her death. Closed off from everyone in the middle of nowhere. Only venturing out in an attempt to reach her in her place in the afterlife. I tried that once, but the Regime had sucked that place dry. We had found a way to convert the supernatural energy into electrical energy.

This opportunity of time travel allowed me a new lease on life. I sat in that hut, slowly dying. I had no purpose, no reason to live. The Supreme One and The Regime were my life. I hardly ate or drunk any form of liquid. What wretched being I was.

"Ron," I heard Kimberly call for me. Her tone was still flat and detached. Still upset I see.

"Yes?"

"How's the project going with Bonnie?" she asked.

"Pretty good."

Kim turned and finally looked at me. She had a look of disbelief on her face. "Really? She must be letting you slide with not doing any work."

I refrained from rolling my eyes. "You know Bonnie well enough that she wouldn't stand for that type of behavior. So if she hasn't been busting your chops about me at practice, then I must be working and an equal amount at least."

"Only because she probably nagged you half to death!" she was yelling now.

I stared at her incredulously after her outburst. "What's your problem?"

"My problem? My problem is your problem! You rarely hang out with me anymore, you quit the cheerleading squad for no reason, and don't think I've noticed how friendly you've been with Bonnie recently, of all people! So I want some damn answers to why my so-called best friend is avoiding me suddenly!"

I gritted my teeth. I was not going to lose my cool. I had to be the one in control. "First off, I would spend more time with you if you weren't always with Josh."

"So you're avoiding me because of Josh! Stop being jealous, Ronald." Rude. She interrupted me before I even finished explaining.

"Kimberly, let me finish before you fly off the handle," I stated calmly, "I'm not jealous, I just rather not be a third wheel. You two are always so lovey-dovey and I tend to be forgotten. I have even walked away a few times and you haven't noticed I was gone. I'm not upset about that."

"Second, I quit the mascot role because it was a time sink with no benefits. I rather spend my time focusing on below-average grades, so I can graduate and possibly get into a decent college. No amount of acrobatics and entertaining gigs will replace good grades," I explained, which seemed to calm her down somewhat, "And did you forget about the bet we made?"

"You're actually taking that seriously and why Bonnie of all people?" she asked, trying to keep calm.

"I wanted to prove you wrong," I answered, "Bonnie is now the most coveted female of Middleton High."

She looked at me. Eyes filled to the brim with disappointment and anger. "So you choose her in an attempt to become popular. I thought you were better than Ron!"

"I am. I chose her because of her beauty, brains, and brashness. Her fierceness makes sure no one messes with her. People know the retaliation will be swift and brutal. It's something to admire, for someone who has been picked on and bullied on for all his life."

"So you now want to be a bully also?" she asked, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. Seem like she was ready to try to beat some sense into me.

"Kim, you're not listening. I said admired her because she stood up for herself and made it known she was not someone to mess with," I told her, "I just want people to know not to mess with me anymore. I don't want to become a bully like those D hall guys."

"I don't get bullied or anything, and I don't destroy people's social life," she said.

"But people know that you can have them knocked on the ground and bleeding before they can blink," I responded, "People still have a healthy dose of fear of you too. I'm not saying you go around parading your strength. The news does that for you."

"I still believe she's bad news for you. She's going to try to use you."

"Like what, KP?" I ask, "I don't have money or status. What can she get out of me?"

Kim shook her head. "You wouldn't understand."

"When you feel like educating on me on this mysterious subject I know nothing of, let me know," I said, turning around so my back faced her.

I knew what she meant. She thought I was going to let some embarrassing secrets slip out of my mouth when I got comfortable.

I felt her hand on my shoulder and I shrugged it off. I wasn't angry. It was just an act to play. I had to still seem like Child Ron, but starting to show signs of growth.

She sighed loudly. "Ron, I'm glad you're taking school more seriously. I always knew you were smart, but you lacked the drive to study."

"At first, I thought you were trying to escape the negativity of some of the other cheerleaders. But now I understand. And I'm proud. You got so much potential that you haven't tapped into yet and I'm going to help you with that. Because you're my best friend and I want you to be the best you can be."

Her words unsettled me. I was so used to a whirling combination of hostility, hatred, sadness, and even pity, for some strange reason. I was not used to this. This warmth.

I decided to drop the act, before she continued. I didn't need nor want encouragement from her, of all people. "Thanks, KP."

And with that, most of the tension had diffused. Kimberly went to rant on and on about her difficult partner, Justine. She then talked about her date with Josh and updating me about family matters. I just nodded in the right places and smiled.

* * *

**(An Hour Later)**

Vents! How did villains of this day and age never stop having ones that a human could fit through?

Why have all these over the top security measures, when people could avoid them by going through your lair's vent system. All those alligator pits, laser grids, and spinning tops of doom meant nothing.

"Shego! Soon the world will realize my brilliance," the haughty voice of Drakken yelled, "With these piranhas, I'll destroy the sea trade and navies of the world. Then I'll infest the lakes and rivers. The world will be bow before me and my shoals of super piranhas!"

"Shoals? That's a lame group name for such a vicious creature," the recognizable sarcastic voice of Shego said, "And don't you know piranhas are freshwater fish?"

"That problem has been taken care of by DNAmy," he answered.

"How did you get that weirdo to do that for you?"

"I gave her that limited edition Rhino Bear I had you steal a couple of days ago."

I heard Kim growl at the mention of the cuddle buddy. Her obsession with the stuffed chimeras was strange, even to me.

She then used her laser lipstick to cut open the grate before jumping down. I followed suit.

Drakken started barked orders and whining when we landed. We found ourselves quickly blocked off from the scientist by a wave of red garbed henchmen.

I frowned. Kimberly smirked. She just loves making everything harder on these missions. Fucking adrenaline junkie.

As the henchmen inched closer, Kimberly and I stood beside each other in our battle stances. I could count on one hand how many times in the previous timeline I fought beside the redhead teen. I looked over to Kimberly to see her excited at the chance to fight as a team, for once.

That opportunity was ruined when **she** decided to join in on the fun. The shadow of The Supreme One jumped over the henchmen, landing a few feet away from us. Shego, a woman only looking for two things. A paycheck and a good fight.

"Can you handle the henchmen?" Kimberly asked me, concerned.

I nodded affirmatively. "These meatheads are the lowest of the low of Hench Co. Drakken is too cheap to hire the competent ones."

"If I see you need it, I'm going to stop fighting Shego and help you," she said before rushing the green-skinned woman.

As if she'll let you. Shego wasn't going to let one of the few people who can challenge her in a fight leave so easily. When she was having fun, she was going to thoroughly enjoy herself. Personal experience talking here.

I scanned the room as the henchmen got closer until I found a door leading out. I bolted past the slow and cumbersome men, heading into another room. I wanted to be out of sight as I pummeled the fools.

The goons surrounded me when they entered the room. My first victim ran towards me, attempting a haymaker. I ducked under the sloppy attack and elbowed him in the stomach. His breath was knocked out before I swept him off his feet.

The next one came from the opposite direction, attempting to grab me. My fist flew to his nose before he could get his grubby hands on me. He clutched his now broken nose and backpedaled into the crowd.

The stomping of loud footsteps behind caused to quickly glance behind me to see my foe. I did a back kick aimed at his knee. I watched in satisfaction as the man fell to one knee, clutching his probably broken appendage.

Two goons decided to attack at the same time from the front. With my superior speed, I ran toward them. I hit the first in the stomach with an open palm and used the same hand to send a knife-hand strike towards the second's Adam apple. The first was sent tumbling backward and the other grabbed his neck.

The second man fell his butt, having difficulty breathing. More than likely hyperventilating. I went back to the first, knocking him out with a swift roundhouse kick to the jaw.

I heard an angry roar from my left. I merely moved my head out the way of the punch. My retaliating punch to the ribs made the man fall to one knee. His face met my knee.

Three goons ran forward. Stepping up the numbers won't stop me. They attempted to dogpile me and I rolled away. I then jumped onto their backs, smiling as I heard numerous bones crack underneath my boots. The pathetic men groaned in pain when I got off them.

The buzzing of electricity behind me allowed me to sidestep the impending strike. One goon had gotten one of these electric staff. He also had overextended with his last attack.

I side kicked him in hip and followed up with a forward jab to his temple. His head almost rotated too far to the other side, which would have caused his neck to snap. Needed to watch my power.

He fell to the floor and I picked up his dropped weapon. I immediately used it to defend myself from two other goons, also equipped with electric staffs. The pair had both did an overhead smash in an attempt to overpower me.

I easily pushed them away, before hitting the two in consecutive jabs. The power from my attacks and the electricity from the staff caused the two fools to fall and wither in pain.

I dodged a swipe from another goon before countering with my own attack. I had used the non-powered end of the staff, knocking the man out with pure blunt trauma.

It had only been a few minutes, but I knew I couldn't dilly dally with these fools anymore. Performing a jump, that they only were used to Kimberly and Shego doing, I escaped back into the room that Drakken and the two females occupied.

I saw Drakken by the controls, yelling at the shadow of The Supreme One to hurry up and finish off Kimberly. I aimed my staff at the giant control panel and hurled it. And it flies right by Drakken, making him let an unbefitting scream for a man.

I held in my chuckle as I melded into the shadows. The control panel's destruction distracted everyone, this was the opportunity I used to sneak up on Shego. The Supreme One would have never let down her guard like this.

I put her in the full nelson. She tried to escape with her superhuman strength, but my supernatural strength matched hers, barely. If I used anymore, it would become visible.

"KP! Finish her!" I yelled.

Kimberly unleashed a flurry of kicks and punches against the restrained woman. I let go and Shego dropped like a sack of potatoes.

"I'll grab old blue and you finish off the goons," I said before going towards the crazed scientist. I glanced back and saw Kim already knocking out the last few goons.

"I don't know how you got past my henchmen, what's your face, but you won't be capturing me!" he yelled, as he pulled out a remote. He quickly pressed the button.

All I heard was the yell of my name from Kimberly and the mustering of my powers before I was met with the sight of darkness.

* * *

**(Hours Later)**

When I finally woke up, I instantly scanned my surroundings, reading to summon the Lotus Blade if needed. I saw Mrs. Possible sitting in a chair by a fireplace, drinking a cup of coffee.

I was in the Possible's house. Safe then. That's when I noticed a cold feeling on my head.

"Ron. I'm glad you awake," Mrs. Possible said as she walked over to me, "How are you feeling?"

I told the lady I was fine. She then numerous checks and asked numerous more questions. Standard medical procedure.

When she was done, she told me she was going to get Kimberly. In under a minute, the redhead teen was beside me. And hugging me. Followed by a string of unnecessary apologies.

"KP, I'm all right. I had should have been more alert at the time," I said to get her to shut up. The concern for me was nice and awkward, but the apologies were annoying.

She told me how Drakken had summoned his hovercraft and the thing had collided with me. He had used this as a chance to escape.

Global Justice had arrived shortly, taking all the henchmen and Shego into custody. They had also taken Drakken's cloning device and the mutant piranha.

A GJ medic had checked on me on the flight back to Middleton. He had informed Kimberly that I had only a slight concussion, which was strange considering the speed of the hovercraft and the density of the wall I collided with.

"You know I'm hardheaded. So this old noggin is had to crack," I said, trying to relax the heroine with typical teen Ron goofiness.

She smiled. "That's true. I still wanted Mom to check on you. I was maybe in a little distressed when I got home, so she couldn't get the whole story out of me. The medic had to tell her what happened."

She suddenly frowned. What got her upset so suddenly?

"Bonnie called like four times today."

I just stared at her as she stared at me. Obviously waiting for an answer.

Kimberly was the first to break the silence. "She seemed concerned at first, but when I questioned her, she wanted to make sure you weren't out of commission. She didn't want to be left hanging, doing the rest of work all by herself."

"Did you expect any more from her?" I asked.

"She could be a decent human being and actually call out of concern!" she yelled.

"Who said she didn't?"

Kimberly looked at me as if I was crazy. "Explain. Now."

"Bonnie never made a rule for me to call her after a mission to check-in. And even that would be strange of her," I explained, "Now why would Bonnie call to make sure I was okay, numerous times at that? She could have waited until she saw you tomorrow at school. I'm sure when I get home, there will be numerous missed calls from her."

"B..b..b..but she just said she only called to see if you were able to work on the project," she said.

I shook my head. "We both know Bonnie is used to manipulating people, meaning she has much experience with deceiving people." Kimberly refused to accept Bonnie as nothing more than the Queen Bee of the school. Cold-hearted, mean, and willing to use others for her own benefit.

Bonnie did have a soft side though. For those, she considered her friends. A hard social circle to get accepted in.

"As much as I like to further discussing all the of the finer points of Bonnie, I would like to be home in my own bed," I said, "Don't get me wrong, your couch is pretty comfortable, but it still doesn't compare to a good bed."

Kimberly checked over me one more time, making sure I was fine. I assured her and she let me leave her house.

As I walked the short distance to my house, I pulled out my cell phone. I had five missed calls and two voice mails. All curtsey of Bonnie, of course.

When I walked into the house, Rufus greeted me by crawling up to my shoulder and giving me a hug against my neck. I petted the little guy on the head.

I had started to keep him at the house during missions. I didn't want him to get hurt. He was my faithful companion, always no matter what.

I walked into the kitchen, preparing a quick meal for myself. I grabbed half of a cheese wheel for Rufus. He shouldn't be too hungry, I left him plenty of food. But he was a glutton.

If I was called on a mission during the school days, I would hand over Rufus to Monique. She would give him to the Possibles if Kimberly and I didn't return by the school day. I would have her keep him all day since she didn't mind and liked Rufus, but her overprotective father probably wouldn't like some guy knocking on his door late at night every other night.

That was just miles of bad road waiting to happen. So the Possibles were the drop-off point. Jim and Tim knew not to do anything too dangerous with Rufus.

When I finished cooking my meal, I looked to see Rufus already had devoured the cheese wheel. He was now asleep, with a bloated belly. He was as greedy as ever. It was nice to have him again and not see those disgusting mockeries of him.

Rufus 3000 and all the other hyper-evolved naked mole rats claimed to be descendants of Rufus. But they weren't.

They were genetically modified clones made by a lonely boy genius. One who had desecrated the grave of my longtime friend to get the DNA!

I wish I had gotten my hands on him before I returned to the past! He didn't show his face when while helping to build the time machine. It didn't help that everyone and their mother kept me away when he was there.

The ring tone of my cell phone went off. I already knew who it was.

"Hey, Bonnie."

"Why didn't you call me back when you got home? I know you saw my calls!" she was already yelling already. Great.

"I had to get some food for Rufus and myself. I was about to call you," I answered. I was telling the truth.

"So stuffing your face is more important than calling back a concerned friend now, huh? See if I call again to make sure you're safe!"

I cringed. I didn't think she would be so upset. "BonBon..."

"Don't you dare call me that!"

"Bonnie, I'm sorry. I promise to make it up to you," I said, trying to calm her down. Hopefully, I didn't sound sarcastic.

"You better not mess up again, mister! I expect a five-star dinner soon as payment. And you need to call me after each mission," she demanded.

I agreed to these terms of hers. Nothing too difficult.

I proceeded to tell her the details, leaving out the beat down I gave the henchmen. Everything from Drakken's stupid plan to how I was knocked out, unfortunately.

"You don't have any head injuries?" she asked.

"No. My powers allowed me to only suffer a mild concussion," I answered, "I'm sure my skull would have cracked otherwise."

I heard a sigh of relief. "You telling me how dangerous these missions are really changed my perspective of Kim. I always knew she was saving the world from many madmen, but hearing the details from somebody who experienced it firsthand, is an eye-opener. I think I gained a little more respect for Kim."

"What Kimberly does isn't something to sneeze at. She saves the world while it would normally take a full team of heavily armed agents to do," I said.

I was greeted with silence for the next couple of minutes. Did I say something wrong?

"Kimberly? I thought you normally called her KP. Her first name is pretty formal for someone who is supposedly her best friend," Bonnie said curiously, "I know you're still a little upset, but it sounds like you something happened. Anything I need to know?"

Crap. I only was to call her that when I thought to myself. Not to anyone else.

"It was a slip of the tongue. I'm still upset about the whole getting smacked by a flying car deal. I don't have these things happen to me and the only reason was because I was careless," I said as an attempt to cover my mistake.

"Uh-huh," she said, obviously not convinced, "Whatever you say, Ron."

"Anything else you want to know?" I asked.

"Nope. Just have dinner ready Friday night," she replied.

"My place or your place?"

"Your place, if your parents aren't around. My parents have already come back home," she answered.

"Mine will be back tomorrow. Friday date night at Chez Couteaux," I said.

"That place requires reservations about a month in advance. You're not going to be able to get a table two days from now," Bonnie said.

"Kim and I have saved numerous people around the world. I can make a few calls to get a reservation," I informed her, "So get one of your best dresses ready."

"I don't believe you."

I sighed. "Bonnie, I'll have the table reserved for 8 P.M. You're going to love it. It's going to be the best date you had so far."

"Date? Who said anything about a date?" she asked, "Where are you getting these strange ideas from, mister?"

"Pricey dinner, check. Wine, check. Candles, check. Classy interior, check," I listed off, "Sounds like a date to me."

"If you can get proof of reservations, we can call it a date," she said.

"Tomorrow during lunch is when you will receive the call from them, confirming the reservations," I told her.

"Sure," she said, still unconvinced, "Goodnight, Ron."

"Goodnight BonBon," I said, hanging up quickly before she could complain about her nickname. Not my fault it's what the rest of her family refers to. Little BonBon.


	9. Chapter 9

**(Tri-City Forests)**

Far away from the eyes of other humans, I stood alone. I wore a simple black sleeveless muscle shirt and a pair of grey shorts, that had small pouches on each side. In front of me was the dagger from the Aztec Ruins.

Today, I was going to awaken the power within it and claim it for myself. I had the time. No missions. No training Bonnie. No evil schemes to put in effect.

People like Monty would have acquired the necessary materials for some long-forgotten and obscure ritual, necessary to draw out an artifact's power. But not I. I held the master key to them all. The Lotus Blade.

When the tip of the katana touched the dagger, a pillar of azure fire enveloped the small weapon. It slowly morphed into the form of a human male, with dark blue skin. Who was covered in head to toe in the pelt of a spotted brown jaguar.

He wielded a strange club-like weapon in his right hand, that had jagged black objects studded onto the sides. There was also a small leather shield he had on the left arm and a few sets of interconnected cords with weights at the end on his legs, bolas.

He studied his surroundings, obviously confused. I wonder if he was just an apparition of the deceased warrior who had the weapon or actually him. I believed he was the former.

He looked at me, curiously. He saw my katana and looked me into the eye with his head tilted. He was questioning me. And I gave him an answer, a blade pointed at him.

He drew his own weapon. He understood. Good.

I attempted to gain first blood by slashing towards his neck. He easily blocked my attack, with his surprisingly durable shield, responding by pushing me back a few feet. As I backpedaled, I had to hastily block a powerful attack from the warrior.

Already off-balance, I used my open hand to catch myself from falling to the ground. The Aztec did an overhead strike and I blocked. I struggled to hold off the attack and had to summon more power to not be pushed down to the ground. My teenage body was not at its physical peak yet, so the Aztec had the upper hand in strength. Since I knew he could use some of the mystical monkey power too.

I fell to one knee to support myself and reached into my pouch, pulling out a pair of shuriken. I threw them at the Aztec, forcing him to disengage my blade to block the thrown weapons. I sliced at his left leg, since it was the closest, scoring a small cut near his ankle.

It was nothing serious, but I still got first blood. The warrior narrowed his eyes at me smirking. He ran towards me unleashing a flurry of strikes. His speed was impressive, but I held the advantage here.

I dodged all his strikes and I landed a light hit on his right arm, leaving a small gash. I noticed he didn't bleed blood, but instead the azure fire that conjured him.

He bashed me with his shield, sending me crashing into a tree. Pain rippled across my back as I made an impact. I ducked under the strike aimed at my head, causing him to strike the trunk of the tree. I saw splinters exploded from the impact, reminding me not to get hit.

I rolled around the Aztec, to avoid the shield strike. I was now behind him and performed a slash across his back. The jaguar pelt and his skin were cut apart as the Lotus Blade cleaning sliced down his back.

The Aztec howled in pain, before wildling swinging at me. I backed away to avoid the reckless, but powerful attack. I did a quick thrust at the Jaguar Warrior, which he blocked. As I pulled the Lotus Blade back, the warrior swung his wooden weapon towards my katana-wielding arm at faster speeds than before.

I was able to block his attack with my katana but found myself in an unfavorable position. The Lotus Blade was caught in between the black shards of his weapon.

With a flick of his wrist, he disarmed me of the Lotus Blade. It fell to the ground and he kicked it out of my reach. He then bashed with his shield, much harder than before.

I was rolling backward from the force before I could stop myself. When I stopped, I looked above me to see the Jaguar Warrior performing a jumping overhead attack, intent on finishing me right at once.

Too bad for him. I smirked as I summoned the Lotus Blade, preparing to stab him in the heart. He was barely able to avoid the fatal strike by using his shield to direct the attack to a less vital organ, the liver.

I jerked my blade towards me, pulling the blade out of his body. When the Aztec hit the ground, pressing his left hand against the wound, I sliced off his right arm. Cut off from the shoulder.

He yelled in pain again, before throwing his bolas at me. I dodged the sloppy attempts. I walked towards him, preparing to finish him off. But an eruption of blue fire stopped me.

I had to use my speed technique, Mach step, to avoid being burned. An inhuman roar caused the flames to dissipate. In place of the arm he just lost, the Jaguar warrior had an animalistic claw made of that azure fire.

He grabbed his shield, watching it burn into blue fire, before throwing at me. I used Mach step to get behind him and attempt to decapitate him.

He reached over his shoulder and grabbed the Lotus Blade. I was in shock that he could do that! He then slammed me into the ground in front of him. That one hurt.

When he tried to lift me, I let go of the blade and scrambled to my feet, gathering as much power as I could into my right hand. I punched the warrior in the gut, sending him flying deeper into the forest as he let go of my weapon. I went into both of my pouches, sending almost all my shuriken at him. I grabbed the Lotus blade as it fell to from the air.

A few seconds later, a blue flaming large feline emerged. Most likely a jaguar, but about three times as big. It seemed he had transformed. It was time to finish this him, or it, off.

I stood my ground as the beast ran towards me. I started to run also. It lunged at me and I kept running, with no fear.

At the last second, I dodged the lunge attack by sliding underneath the beast. The Lotus Blade sliced through the underbelly of it as flew over me. I looked behind when I got up to see just a pile of dust left.

I dropped to one knee, clutching my chest in response due to sudden pain while using the Lotus Blade as support. It was agonizing and I felt like my body was now on fire.

' _Master, your body is not ready. I will hold this power, until you are ready,'_ I heard someone say. I looked around and saw no one. But I did notice the Lotus Blade surrounded by azure fire. It had to be the one that had spoken.

' _Be patient, Master. Your mind is strong, but your body is still weak,'_ I guessed it said to me. I wasn't too sure still.

I decided to head home. I didn't gain any more power, but I now knew what I had to do to get it.

* * *

**(Stoppable Residence)**

When I entered the house, I announced I was back home, receiving cordial greetings from my parents. They both were busy. My father was going over a tall stack of papers, all work-related. My mother was in the kitchen, cooking.

My father picked up a small package from his behind his mountain of paperwork. "This is addressed to you, son."

After getting the package, I headed upstairs to my room and closed the door. Rufus was on the bed, playing a handheld game. I gave him a quick pet, not distracting him from his game.

It said it came from Postage Express's warehouse in the Tri-City area. I knew I didn't order anything.

My paranoia kicked in. I pulled out a PDA device from one of the shelves of my computer desk. I put it over the package and a light roamed the package, from top to bottom.

My scanner didn't pick up anything that was chemically or biologically dangerous. No sort of trigger for an explosion either.

Deeming it safe to be opened, I found a small black tape recorder inside. Who still used these? I pressed play.

"Mr. Stoppable, this is Dr. Director of Global Justice," the recording started. Great, what did the old coot want?

"I have this message to inquire about the validity of some Hench Co. men, under a contract with Drew Lipsky. These men said you were responsible for their injuries. You were said to have use formidable martial arts and able to overpower two of them at once."

"These accounts do not match our records of your skills. I would like to reassess your talents at 7 P.M. on September seventh. We will be meeting. Please don't have us track you down."

Fuck! I should have stuck with the clumsy buffoon role. I was so used to do everything so efficiently and on my own terms. Now I had to play by everyone else's' rules.

A knock at my door. "Ronald, I wanted to speak to you for a moment."

It was my mother. I opened the door.

"When I was coming up the stairs, I heard the message. It was from the agency that helps Kim and you on your mission, right?"

"Yes, mom."

"They said you had injured some people?"

"I did, but they were the bad guys! They were trying to hurt me anyway."

"So you were fighting them. Did Kim teach you how to fight? Because your father and I never put you in any martial arts classes."

"She did try to teach me some things. I kind of learned the moves, but what really happened was I got some lucky shots in," I explained.

She didn't respond. She shuffled her feet, nervous about something. I never remembered my mother being nervous about anything around me.

"Ronald, if those adventures become too much for you, you don't have to do them anymore. I'm sure that government agency would willingly help Kim with their own agents as back up," she said.

"I'm good, mom."

My mother rested her hands on my shoulder. Squeezing it softly.

"Promise me you'll tell me when you don't want to do them anymore. You're aren't forced to do them because she's your friend," she said pleadingly.

I looked at her, eyes filled with motherly love and concern. Unconditional love, something I haven't received in forever.

"I promise."

My mother pulled me into a tight hug. "I know you are growing up so quickly and experience so many new things and sight, but you're still my baby boy. No amount of freak fighting, laser dodging, or world-saving will change that."

Where was all this coming from? I didn't know or care, because I was enjoying it. I returned the hug, having a feel of security and safety that I couldn't ever remember having in The Regime.

"I'm so proud of my little boy," she whispered, the exact same sentence she last said to me in the past timeline.

I had to force myself not to flinch. Memories best left forgotten assaulted my mind. My mother released me and went back downstairs. Good, I didn't want her to see me having these flashbacks. I went and sat on my bed, clenching my head in pain.

It was the day of graduation from Upperton University. I was hugging her, right after the graduation ceremony. But now, fire surrounded us. Her body was limp in my arms, blood running down her face. My father laid dead beside us. I remember screaming in agony as a figure emerged from the flames.

I saw **him.** That egoistical noble, eyes crimson with rage and lunacy. He wielded a black warped version of the Lotus Blade. He had an army of his stupid monkeys too.

He yelled that I was weak, pointing his blade at me. Laughing at me, saying I didn't have the power. He even called my mother a skank. I lost control after that.

I showed him who was the weak one. I slaughtered all his minions. I defeated him with ease, mutilating his body beyond recognition.

After my rage subsided, I saw that Global Justice arrived on the scene. Then I saw **her.** I thought she was there to console me, but instead, she had hit with one of those Taser watches. My so-called best friend had betrayed me.

I remember waking up, stuck to a bed. There were numerous safeguards on me. Steel restraints and a constant flow of drugs to keep me subdued. I didn't know how long I was there until The Supreme One came.

She offered freedom in exchange for my servitude. I accepted at the time, not caring. I just wanted to be out and get a chance to grieve properly for my parents. I wanted to know they received a proper burial.

I got up from my bed, heading to the attic. I had to whip up an invention for my visit. And then take a shower. I had to presentable.

* * *

**(Later that night)**

I held my hand over my left eye, using my healing to lessen the swelling and bruising from my assessment at GJ. I had to fight Will Du's pompous ass.

I had to severely hold back against the fool, maybe I held back too much. He was delighted to fight me and relished beating me. That's how I received my black eye.

I was going to be watching his deployments. I was going to get that bastard. But he won't be out for a while, not with the glare Betty gave him. Maybe he would even be demoted to doing a desk jockey temporarily. Would serve him right.

I focused my attention on the Caribbean Island I was approaching. It was the backup lair of Drakken's.

I was here to steal the Azure Stone, again. But there was no Shego this time. Only a limited number of goons patrolling. Easy pickings.

I was on this mission by myself. No backup. Just the way I preferred for a stealth mission. I pulled up the info from Jack. Drakken was using one of the cheapest lairs available. Two entrances. One from the jungle and one as an underwater cave.

I stopped the hovercraft I was in just out of detection range. I grabbed the detachable diving gear I brought. I would be underwater until I got to the cave or otherwise I would be detected. I put on my helmet, attached the diving gear, and jumped out into the ocean.

Due to my suit, I couldn't feel the coldness of the ocean. My swim to the cavern was silent, with nothing out of the ordinary slowing me down.

When I got inside the lair, I detached the diving gear, setting aside to retrieve it on my way back. Also, I wanted to be as light and agile as possible. Diving gear would have gotten in the way. I pulled up a map of the lair and quickly memorized it.

The lair was dead silent. I didn't find one henchman along the way to my first destination. On way, I came across the henchmen's barracks. I peered inside to find them all asleep. I shook my head in disgust. This what you get for the lowest bidder. I couldn't wait to get rid of them.

I eventually found myself at my first destination, Drakken's room. He was sound asleep, sucking on his thumb and holding a teddy bear, while in pajamas. I thought I use to have problems. I didn't hold a candle to Drakken.

I wondered what The Supreme One was thinking when she injected this fool with that serum and made him that hulking mass of muscles. He was some form of guard dog for her at the time.

I went to his nightstand, scrounging through until I found one his most important valuables. His recipe for Cocoa Moo. I took the piece of paper and put it in one my pouches on my belt. The fool would be crying for days. And he would be too distracted to focus on any world domination plans, freeing time for me.

I headed to the storage room next. No guards still. This was too easy. I picked the perfect time to come here.

In the storage room, numerous inventions, failures and incomplete, were half haphazardly thrown everywhere in the damn room. I felt like an urban animal about to sort through some garbage.

I didn't have time for this! I tried to search as quickly as possible, while making minimal noise. It took me about ten minutes to find the meteorite.

"Did you hear that?" I froze at the sound of a voice. It was very distant, but that meant someone was coming my way. I had to prepare to flee or fight.

"Sounds like it came from the storage room."

"Probably just the boss," another voice said. A pair was coming. Great.

"You sure? I thought he was asleep," the first voice said.

"You can go check by yourself and get hit some crazy beam ray thingamajig," the second said, "I'm going back to bed."

"You're right. The boss is just working. I'm just paranoid because I fell asleep on my shift," the first responded.

"You know the routine. We get three to five days of rest until moving onto the next scheme. Afterward, we got about a week before Kim Possible shows up," the second replied.

When I could barely hear the two henchmen anymore, I made my escape. I got to my gear, attached it, and submerged myself into the ocean. After I made it to my hovercraft, I had one more stop tonight.

* * *

**(Midnight; Middleton)**

My hovercraft was right over Middleton's prized Space Center. Home to the greatest minds of the Tri-City area. Like James Possible and Vivian Porter.

I landed on the ceiling and get out. I opened a hatch that leads inside. I pulled out my PDA device to give the cameras a looping feed of video. I used the rope I got from my hovercraft to slide down inside.

This place has surprisingly lax security for what was housed here. But the threat of Kim Possible down the street probably stopped all but the cockiest villains and thieves, like Shego, from stealing from here.

I strode down the halls of the research center until I came to James' office. His door had a keypad lock. I placed a small black disc, about the size of a dime, on the lock. It glowed red for a few seconds before it went to green. The door opened shortly afterward.

When I walked in, I saw my prize. The Hephaestus project. Other than glowing red lines that looked like lava that snaked around the entire thing, the Hephaestus project looked like a normal black hard drive for a computer.

I grabbed the machine and quickly headed out of the room. As I climbed the rope upwards to my escape, I had was giddy with excitement. Project Tartarus was ready to start.


	10. Chapter 10

**(Morning; School Library)**

I sat beside Bonnie, who was trying to do some last-minute homework. And somehow, she roped me into doing half of it.

I took a sip of coffee as I finished the last problem. I had pilfered this cup from the faculty room. It was the cheap brand, Maxwell.

I normally didn't drink coffee for energy, I would instead meditate deeply. But I didn't have time for that. So I was having a black cup of coffee. This was the only way I could drink it. Cream and sugar totally ruined it for me.

"You could have thought of me when you stole coffee from the teachers," Bonnie said from beside me.

"You hate coffee," I replied, "Remember when you tried some at Temple and immediately spat it out?"

"I was like 7 at the time! I only liked really sweet things."

"Still counts."

With the use of her telekinetic powers, Bonnie grabbed my cup of coffee. I frowned at her. One, for taking my hard-earned coffee and two, for using her powers in public.

She smiled innocently as she took one gulp. Her disgust was only visible for a fraction of a second before she schooled her face back into a blank stare. Impressive.

"There will be a punishment," I told her, as she took another sip.

"Scary," she replied, not the least bit intimidated and took another sip.

I grabbed the cup away from her. She could steal her own coffee. I'm sure she would get away with if she was caught.

When I finished taking my own sip, Bonnie leaned over to steal another sip.

"It's really not that bad," she said, "Once you get used to it."

"I'll get you a cup next time," I told her, "Since you have taken a liking to it."

"And I'll bring some doughnuts each time."

"Each time? What are you on now?" I asked her.

"Each morning of school, we should come to the library and talk. Tell one another about our evening activities. You could give me the full details of your mission, instead late at night when you check-in," she explained.

"And what about you? What will you tell me?"

"I could talk about my simple life and friends, but your missions are so more exciting. I'll comment on your missions and what possibly you and Kim could have done better," she replied, "Plus I like hearing you talk when you feel comfortable to be your true self. You have a way with words and a commanding presence that never bores me."

"My true self? You're saying I hide behind some form of mask around others?" I asked. She nodded. "Even Kim?"

"Especially Kim. You have always been submissive to her, following her around and listening to her what out any thought. You act like a little kid, being extremely immature and childish all the time," she explained, "But now you're more likely to ignore her commands, probably because you are fed up with being looked down upon."

"Very observant, Bonnie. Seems like I have attracted your attention," I said, just smiling at her, "What else have you noticed?"

"That you're tired. You move slower than you usually do, mask or not. And before you drank your coffee, I saw the tiredness in your eyes. They were also a little red earlier. It's like what my father looks like when he comes home and just works all day instead of resting."

I took another sip of my coffee after her explanation. Not responding.

Bonnie crossed her arms. "Are you going to tell what you did last night?"

"It was nothing important."

She huffed at me. "I might accept that answer because I know you aren't going to tell me unless you want to. But what are you going to tell Kim?"

"Staying up all night studying and catching up on late assignments," I answered, "I told her I quit being the mascot for my studies anyway."

"Sounds believable. Does she know about your powers or have any suspicions?"

"No. She has only heard about them from our foes. She dismissed it as nonsense."

"Monkey Fist, right?" I had to stop myself from crushing the cup. Yesterday made me lose much of my control. Stupid memories. I would have to meditate on this.

"Yes, him," I answered.

I noticed my breath was ragged. Bonnie was staring at me. I took a few deep breaths, as she rubbed my back.

"I didn't mean to bring up any unpleasant memories," she apologized, still rubbing my back.

"You're fine. You didn't know," I replied, "Let me tell you about how I awakened my powers."

"Awakened? Don't you mean obtain?" she asked.

She only asked since I had informed her of how she got hers. She was surprised to find out why she had to keep seeing Kimberly's mom after the Gill incident.

I shook my head. "I apparently always had them. I just never had the ability to use them before."

I told her about the mission with the cretin. She was still staring at me, concerned when I mentioned him. I told her about the second encounter, without Kim, but with the hologram technology of Wade's.

"Why does Kim always ignore your instincts about something is amiss on a mission? Does she ever regret it or even apologize afterward?" she asked after I was finished.

"She does, but you have to realize that I sued to connect almost every little thing to some conspiracy. I've stopped that, so maybe she will take me seriously the next time," I answered, taking another sip of coffee.

Bonnie leaned over and took another sip. It was almost gone now. "I would have listened; you know?"

The library doors opened suddenly, gaining my stopping me from responding. I turned around and saw it was Tara. With Hope hiding behind a bookshelf, glaring at the blonde.

Was Hope spying on us? When did she enter? I never noticed her entered. Must have been when the cretin was first mentioned. Bonnie noticed where I was looking and removed her hand quickly. Like I had burned her, but I wasn't offended. I knew why she did it.

"Bonnie, did you leave your phone or something?" Hope asked as the pair approached us, "We've been trying to reach you for about twenty minutes."

The brunette pulled her phone out of her purse, quickly checking it. "It was on silent. Sorry."

"Hi Ron," Tara said nervously, partially hiding behind Hope.

I smiled, watching her blush. I caught Bonnie frowning out of the corners of my eye. Hope was staring intently at me or something near me.

"Hey, Tara. Bonnie and I were finishing some parts of our project," I said, drinking the rest of the coffee.

That's when I noticed Hope's eyes moving with the movement of the coffee cup. I glanced at the piece of Styrofoam to see something I hadn't noticed before. Lipstick marks on the cup. Great.

Hope was now glaring at Bonnie, not that that the brunette noticed. She was too busy conversing with her blonde friend. That meant Tara didn't notice it either.

Female drama was one of the worst things to deal with. Bonnie was going to eventually complain to me about it and I would have to listen. Not looking forward to that.

I got up, announcing I was leaving and let the females catch up.

"I've got something to ask Ron right quick," I heard Hope said to her friends, "I'll be right back."

I was outside the library, waiting for her. I heard the doors open behind me. I turned and face her.

"What did you need to ask me?"

Hope narrowed her eyes at me and crossed her arms. "Is something going on between you two?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Bonnie and me? Of course not."

"You two were basically cuddled up in there. Right beside each other, her rubbing your back for some reason and sharing the same cup," she said, "Tell me the truth."

"I did tell you the truth, Hope. Now get back to in there before Tara gets suspicious of you. It's already weird you wanted to speak to me alone," I replied, "You keep standing here and anything you sat to Tara will be dismissed because she will be more suspicious of you than Bonnie."

Her baffled face made me chuckle. She gave me the middle finger before storming back inside the library.

I texted Bonnie about what Hope had seen and how I handled her. It was a warning for her impending interrogation. It's all I can do to give my ear a little slack. Time to get to my locker and meet up with Kimberly.

As I walked down the hall, I spotted Felix Renton. We had become fast friends when he got first got to Middleton. Especially after the Motor Ed incident. He was a great friend, my only male friend at that. I could always depend on him to talk about man stuff, like Kimberly could depend on Monique for girl stuff.

That's why I was saddened when he refused my offer to join The Regime. But he didn't stand in my way, unlike many others. This was the reason that when The Regime conquered the world, I offered him to be the head of the Rehabilitation Cybernetic Department.

The department focused on developing cybernetics for the injured, maimed, and disabled to be fully function. Nothing there was used for any sort of offensive purpose. Just ways to improve other's quality of life.

"Hey, Ron! How's working with the Queen Bee been?" he asked when I approached.

"Great! Just wooing her with my charms. No lady can resist the Ron Man," I answered, goofy smile and dramatic posturing.

The wheelchair-bound boy stifled a laugh. "Sure, Ron. How close are you to being done?"

"Pretty much done. Just a little editing here and there needs to be done."

"Cool. So did you really quit being the Mad Dog for better grades?"

I nodded. "I have to pave my own path to success. Can't depend on Kim for that."

Felix agreed. "True. You can't ride on her coattails to get you anywhere. Especially considering that you aren't even mentioned during interviews or articles or you're incorrectly named. Had to scrape some favor from that."

"Plus if her reputation went down in flames, so I would mine. Thus the dangers of being famous."

Felix gave me an alarmed look. "What could she possibly do for that to happen?"

"She doesn't have to do anything. Just be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Someone else does something and the blame is placed on her," I explained, "She might be helping a group of people and something that she can't control happens. Someone gets injured or even die, all fingers will be pointing at her."

Felix winced. "I never thought about that. Is that why it never bothers you when you aren't mentioned even though you should be?"

I nodded. "Better to be in the shadows than the spotlight."

Especially for what I had planned.

"Have you ever talked to Kim about this?" he asked.

"Of course not. She would just blow me off anyway."

Felix looked down the hall, where Monique, Josh, and Kimberly were at. "No offense to her, but that sounds in character for her."

I didn't respond, gaining the attention of the trio. Everyone greeted each other and told one another of their previous afternoon activities. No one noticed how tired I was.

* * *

**(Rockwaller Residence)**

"We're done, Ron," Bonnie told me as we entered her room. She sat down on her bed, legs hanging off the side.

"Cool," I replied, as I sat down beside her.

"You brought your change of clothes?"

"In my car."

"Good," she said, before rubbing my back.

I gave her a questioning glance, eyebrows raised.

"You need to rest," she said, answering my unspoken question.

"I'm fine." She frowned at my response.

"For now, when did you last get some sleep?"

"About thirty-three hours ago," I answered, causing her frown to deepen.

"In about three hours, you're going to be acting like a drunk. Your mental and physical health degrades severely after 36 hours. I don't need you hallucinating at dinner tonight."

"I can last longer than that," I retorted. My stubbornness was about to get her upset.

"Because of your monkey mojo?"

I glared at her. "Yes. Don't speak of the Mystical Monkey Powers like they are some lowly form of shamanistic powers that anyone can achieve. It bestows its true power to ones it deems worth. Ignorance of these things I can take, but intentional disrespect I will not."

Bonnie's eye widens and her hands were at her sides in a disarming manner. "Sorry. Didn't mean to offend."

"Good. Make sure it doesn't happen again," I told her.

After a moment of silence, she tentatively pressed her hand against my back. When I didn't respond, she resumed rubbing my back.

"So are you going to rest? I would like my date to be fully functional so it will be enjoyable."

I didn't answer her, so she continued. "Boring dates with guys that don't pay attention to me are the worst. Brick was like that a lot. Unless he was looking at my boobs or butt or trying to get handsy, he drifted off into space, probably thinking about football. Plus, he ate like a total slob."

My face twitched, and by the pause of rubbing, she had noticed. She continued rubbing as she kept complaining.

"I really don't want to go on a date with another blonde bloke."

Now she was comparing my intelligence to the meathead Brick? Annoying girl.

"I'll rest, only to quiet your mouth."

"Get comfortable. I'll wake you up so you have enough time to get ready."

When I attempted to lie down on the bed, I felt Bonnie's hands on my arms, guiding me elsewhere. I found my head in her lap, with her hands gently going throw my hair.

Feeling adequately comfortable, I let myself relax. I soon fell asleep, due to silence and the ministrations of Bonnie.

"Rest Ronnie," I heard her mutter, before total darkness captured me, "Rest Ronnie."

* * *

**(Chef Couteauex)**

I felt much better after some rest. Fully refreshed at that. But I had to deal with a smug Bonnie when I woke up.

I looked back at her. She decided to go with a classy black dress that reached her knees and three-inch black heels. Nothing too showy.

I wore a simple black suit, white undershirt, and a black tie. I had also my hair combed back. My favorite hairstyle. It made me look a lot more dignified and classy.

Bonnie had just finished her Buffalo Tenderloin with Lobster Béarnaise. I had the Mountain Elk Chop with Stilton Pommes Puree.

"How was the food?" our waiter asked.

Bonnie told him the food was great, especially considering it was her first time having something like the Béarnaise. She as kind put off by the creamy sauce at first, but she enjoyed it.

The young man only looked at Bonnie's face, eyes never passing downward to appreciate her beauty. Professional and respectful. He earned a three percent raise in his tip.

I told him what I thought. The elk, while similar to beef in taste, was bursting much more flavor and was a tad sweeter. And it was extremely tender. Cooked to perfection.

The Pommes Puree was very creamy, slightly sweet, with a nutty aftertaste. I asked if the chef used blue Stilton cheese in these potatoes. He told me that my assumption was correct.

The waiter was surprised by my compliments. Not every day you have someone looking young as me and being so knowledgeable about food.

He told me he would let the chef know and asked if we want dessert. I told yes and bring us the wine list too.

He asked for our IDs, not once sounding suspicious of our real age. I handed it to him and he gave them a quick glance. He handed them back and headed off to get our menus.

"Fake IDs? Wonder what Kim would think about that," Bonnie muttered.

"She wouldn't believe if you told her," I said.

"The chef, Mr. Anderson, said drinks and dessert are on him," the waiter said as he put down the menus, "He was impressed by your knowledge, Mr. Stoppable."

"Tell him that his offer is accepted. I'm sure the dessert will be just as great," I told the waiter. He smiled and he'd be back in the next few minutes.

We decided on the Lemon Ricotta Soufflés, with two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon. I really choose everything, but I didn't dare say that aloud.

We told the waiter about our decisions when he returned. He took our menus and did a small bow before leaving.

Bonnie told me about some of her classes, that I wasn't in, and how Kimberly let out practice early for her date with Josh. She told me Hope hadn't confronted her yet, explaining why she was still in a good mood when I came to her house today.

The waiter returned with the rest of our order.

"So when did you start breaking all the rules, Mr. Hero? Ordering drinks with fake IDs, trespassing into the faculty area, and who knows what else."

I took a sip of my glass of wine. It had a fruity taste to it, letting me know they harvested the grapes young. "I'm not a hero. I'm a sidekick."

"What does that mean?" the confused brunette asked. She took a small sip. Her eyes blinked a few times and her face froze. Definitely her first time tasting alcohol.

"Heroes and villains have moral codes and standards. Sidekicks do not. We can pick and choose what fits us. That's why a good number of comic book sidekicks tend grow into antiheroes. A more neutral stance on life," I explained.

"So if I found myself in a situation where I could possibly get arrested, I could depend on you to get me out of it?" she asked.

"Of course, Bon Bon," I told her.

"I'll hold you to that," she said, before trying the dessert. I got a piece. It had a soft lemony flavor to it. I really liked this chef.

* * *

**(Outside Rockwaller Residence)**

I had just pulled up to the driveway. Bonnie had held my hand for the whole ride back to her house.

She didn't let go as I walked her to the front door.

"I believe you enjoyed yourself?" I asked.

"Of course, Ronnie," she said, giggling.

Ronnie. There goes that pet name again. Future Bonnie never called me that.

"Ronnie? What's with the nickname?" I asked, "I heard you call me that before I went to sleep."

Bonnie blushed. "I just like to call you that when you're being such a great guy."

"An affectionate nickname then. I like it," I said as I smiled, "When are you going to let me call you BonBon with no repercussions?"

She put a finger to her chin, seemingly in deep thought about my question. "Only in private."

I smiled again. "That's acceptable."

She smiled back, as she placed her left hand on my face to cup my jaw.

"That was one of the best dates I've ever had, Ronnie," she said, softly, "Why did you do that?"

One of the best? I guess I had to step my game up.

"Because I wanted to give you the date you deserved," I answered, "Real men know how to treat a lady right."

"You consider me a lady? Most people wouldn't agree with that statement."

I smirked, pacing my around her and pulling her closer. "That's because they want someone who is soft. I like a lady with some fire and bite behind her."

She giggled at this. "I can be gentle too, you know."

She then gave me a peck on the cheek. She looked me into the eyes, as her thumb ran over my lips.

The sound of some form of fast-moving aircraft coming close to us made me stand in front of her protectively.

I looked up to see the familiar sight of a Global Justice V-22 Osprey approaching. I saw Kimberly in the opened loading ramp, staring down at us.

"Seems like duty call, my lady," I told Bonnie, as Kimberly landed beside us.

"My lady? And why are you and Bonnie all dressed up?" the redhead asked, narrowing her once she saw how close Bonnie and I were.

"If you must know Kimberly, Ron and I just came from an excellent date at Chef Couteauex!" Bonnie told, sneeringly, "How was your date with Josh?"

"We had to cancel," she said through gritted teeth. She placed her hand on my arm, "Come on Ron! We got to stop Dementor! He's gotten the Pan-dimensional Vortex Inducer again."

I shrugged her arm off.

"Just because your date ended abruptly doesn't mean mine has to also," I said, getting an outraged Kim to frown.

"Ron! We don't have time for this!"

I glared at her. She took a step back. "Just wait, Kimberly. This won't take longer than five minutes."

"But..."

I snapped. "Get in the damn Osprey now Kimberly!"

After saying that, I turned to Bonnie, who was looking smugly at the redhead. I heard the heroine huff before walking off.

"Never seen someone handle Kim like that. You actually got her to back off. And with the way you commanded her, I would think you were former military. Mr. Barkin would be proud at your outburst."

"Sometimes she needs to e reminded that everything can't go her way. She so used to that."

"While I'm flattered and impressed you stood up to Kim to spend more time with me, the world does need saving," she said, "Call me when you get back. I won't sleep till then."

"How sweet of you. Waiting for confirmation that your hero is safe before sleeping," I said, as I placed my arm around her again.

"You are sidekick, remember? Not a hero." She told me, before giving me another peck on the cheek, "But you can be my hero."

"You free this weekend?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, Bon Bon. I got some business to attend to. But I'll try to make time for you."

She pouted. "Promise me, you'll be careful Ronnie."

What is with all these promises lately? First my Mom and now Bonnie.

I nodded. "I promise. Take care of my car for me."

She gave me a quick hug. I chalked up her slightly strange and bubbly behavior to her being buzzed. I didn't allow the girl to get drunk. I was responsible, contrary to what most people thought. Like the one was about to face.

After handing Bonnie my keys, I headed towards the aircraft. When I entered the Osprey, courtesy of the landing ramp, Kimberly was waiting for me. Arms crossed and glaring at me.

"What in the hell was that back there?" she yelled at me.

I matched her glare. "I wasn't about to let you ruin my date."

"I wasn't ruining anything! You were already done."

I shook my head. "No, I wasn't. We hadn't finished talking and you were pulling me away because you were upset about your own date and I had gone on a date with Bonnie. Neither of those reasons gives you the right to interrupt mine. Even if you had come earlier, I would still have dropped her off."


	11. Chapter 11

**(Outside of Dementor's Lair)**

The trip was filled with a tense silence. We didn't glance at each other once. Too upset at one another.

The pilot of the Osprey informed us that we had reached our destination, causing Kimberly and me to go into mission mode. We both parachuted out at the same time and landed on the mountain tops with the same amount of grace.

I was glad the Osprey was able to reach the top of the mountains, keeping Kimberly and me from scaling the side. Saved a lot of time.

But we still had to past the fence surrounding the lair. We would have used the stupid hairdryer grappling hooks, but the fence was electrified.

Kimberly had pulled her kimmunicator and asked Wade for help. I saw an easier solution, a power box that wasn't too far away from our location. It was still on the other side of the fence though.

I reached into one of Kimberly's gadget pouches, getting a screech to the eardrums while I pulled put the laser lipstick. I squinted my left eye, because I was right eye dominant, and aimed at the power box. The laser burned through the gate and left a scorching hole in the power box.

With the fence's power source gone, I contemplated tossing the lipstick back at Kimberly. Deciding not to, I pocketed the gadget and used the crude grappling hook to scale the fence. As I glided through the air, I spotted a grate opening to the air vents.

After landing, I ran to the side of the lair, scaling with an agility I knew Kimberly never seen. I opened the grate with brute strength, hearing Kimberly telling to wait for her. I pretended not to hear her.

A few minutes of crawling through the vents, I was out of her sight. I made a holographic map of the lair appear from my watch on my wrist. The watch was actually a highly advanced multi-use tool device. I called it the Omni tool. It was like the Kimmunicator, but better.

I located the room where the generators were located and where Dementor was using to house his inventions and world domination plans.

I headed my first destination, the generator room. The grate over the entrance showed only one henchman guarding it. One that was surprisingly skinny, considering the rest of Dementor's men were extremely buff and seemed to be falling asleep. Idiot.

I silently removed the grate's screws and moved it to the elsewhere inside the vent. I dropped down, performing a roll when I landed. Straight towards the goon.

With the momentum of my roll and my enhanced strength, a punch to the gut made the man fall his knees. I kneed him in the face, taking pleasure out of his nose breaking.

As the man laid on the ground, writhing in pain, I entered the generator room. My first thought was to cut up the generators, but The Lotus Blade wasn't some common tool. Plus, it would attract more attention from Global Justice. No need for that.

I stood where all three generators were in a straight line in front of me. I pulled the laser lipstick and aimed at the first generator. The crimson red beam easily pierced the generator and the ones behind it, causing lair to go black. I put the deadly lipstick back up.

I closed my eyes, concentrating on allowing the power to gather there. I opened them again, able to see in the dark. No fancy googles needed. I head back through the gate I had come through.

Once there, I opened the holographic map from my Omni tool. I used it to navigate the many twist and turns of the lair's vent system. I'm sure Kimberly was looking for me, with the aid of the tracker.

I had taken the thing out of my body, but I kept it on me almost all the time. Of course, there were times I left it at home, obviously, so she couldn't follow me around the world, and sometimes I forgot. But that will rarely happen.

I heard the heavily accented English that Dementor used, yelling at his men to figure out what happened to the lights. Most told him that the light switches didn't work.

"Someone go check on Myron! And put in the medical bay if he's injured," Dementor ordered, "Stupid sister. Forcing me to hire her incompetent husband. Even Drakken's men are better than him."

I opened the nearby grate and landed in an area with no guards nearby. I slipped in unseen, creeping past all the henchmen. Avoiding the flashlights that the guards were using to navigate the room, I had gotten to the Pan-dimensional Vortex Inducer. Dementor had placed it on a small stand nearby him.

I snatched the thing off the stand, leaving the room of idiots and egomaniacs. I heard Dementor scream about his precious Pan-dimensional Vortex Inducer missing. Due to the darkness, I easily made it back outside the lair.

I scaled the fence and waited for Kimberly. I juggled the device for entertainment as I waited.

Minutes later, Kimberly finally arrived. Took her long enough. Probably had beaten up some goons for stress relief.

"You got it without fighting?" she asked. Of course, she doesn't ask if I'm okay. She never really did before.

I threw the damn thing at her. "Yes. It's called stealth. You know what Shego uses to steal stuff. You should try it sometimes. It can really help with these missions. Instead of bursting through the front door, ready to fight."

Kimberly wrinkled her nose at the thought and mention of her nemesis. "I'm not going to be stalking in the shadows, like a thief. Like her!"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be so close-minded. Stealth isn't inherently evil. It's a skill. Using it doesn't matter, the purpose behind its use does. I'm sure those Global Justice guys use it. I'm sure they would require you to learn it if you joined. And call them to let them know we got the Pan-dimensional Vortex Inducer. They can clean up."

Kimberly didn't respond to me. Okay then. I turned the other way as she instead called Wade to inform to alert Global Justice that Pan-dimensional Vortex Inducer was retrieved and they could capture Dementor. Since he and his minions were running around like headless chickens.

"I'm sorry Ron," Kimberly whispered.

I must have almost broken my neck and had a look on my face that made it seem I saw that she grew a second head with the glare she gave me.

"I know how to apologize," she muttered, before taking a deep breath.

"I wanted to apologize for how I've been acting. I know I have been overbearing and questioning every decision you make. But I did that because I care about you and your wellbeing. And you're my best friend."

I still had my arms crossed, not satisfied.

"And I was afraid I was losing you. You were changing so quickly. You seemed to be a totally different person at times. Whenever a change like that happens so rapidly to you, you usually become some big-headed jerk. I didn't want you to change into that person again."

Okay. Slightly understandable.

"And then you got paired up with Bonnie, of all people. I thought she was influencing you to change, but now I know she isn't. These are your choices. These changes are good for you."

She was smiling, seemingly finished. She still had more explaining to do.

"And?"

She was confused now. "And what?"

I sighed. "What's the other reason you were uncomfortable about Bonnie? You've been doing pretty good so far, but don't hold out on me now. I need all of the truth, Kimberly."

She fidgeted nervously. "I was afraid she would convince you to tell her my secrets."

I let out a chuckle at her answer, which I already knew. "Of all the things you would question about my character, I didn't think it would ever be my loyalty as your friend. After all these years of following you on these dangerous escapades of yours. I'm hurt, Kim. You know I believed, until now, that our secrets were something we could share. But now, I don't know."

She had the decency to look ashamed, staring at the ground with her long hair hiding her face. "I'm sorry, Ron."

Good. She won't question me about this again.

She then looked at, eyes prickling with tears. "Do you forgive me?"

My gut wrenched at the site. No! I should feel no sympathy for her. Her feeling like this will make it easier to get away with my plans.

But this wasn't Future Kimberly. Not the one hand trained by Betty Director to be her successor of Global Justice. Not the one willing to lie and betray me. Not the one I had to fight numerous times because our organizations were at conflict. This one was still young. And innocent.

I pulled Kim into a hug, against my better judgment. Two Ospreys appeared and about two dozen agents exited the VTOLs. They paid us no mind as they tore down the fence and went to apprehend Dementor and his goons.

Kim hugged back, planting her face into my chest and sniffling. Attempting not to cry, but failed. I rand my hands through her long hair, what she liked when she was having an emotional moment and wanted to be calmed down.

I was pleased when she finally stopped crying and smiled at me. I smiled back. I think I've gotten a little soft. Fuck.

* * *

**(Next Day; Middle of Atlantic Ocean)**

Inside the newly crafted Mach Eagle V-1, was Jack, his personal henchmen, and me, suited up. I was flying, because no one else was trained yet and I just wanted to. Jack was in the co-pilot seat.

The Mach Eagle was the main air troop transport for The Regime's armies. It was mainly a modified Osprey V-22, not using the regular propellers, but much more efficient and faster technology, repulsor technology. This was the use of high-density muon beams to be projected out of electrostatic lenses directed by magnets. The beams produced could be used for concussive force or a means of defying gravity. Repulsor technology was the backbone of the Regime's weapons technology.

This allowed us to move much faster than other VTOLs, cruising at about 400 miles an hour. The later models would be faster, but we didn't have the resources to get past version 3.

We approached a large artificial island that I told Jack to construct. It was seemingly a shipping port in the middle of the ocean. Mostly used by Jack himself to transport all his materials and commodities to lairs across the world.

Ships were pulling in, with cargo cranes loading and unloading trailers. Everything is done by Hench Co. employees. Nothing incriminating insight. Even Global Justice came and sniffed around.

But it was a cover for my first step to world domination. Project Tartarus.

When we landed, I let Jack lead the way to the secret entrance. I received many curious glances along the way. Once we reached his office, he gently pressed his hand against the wall behind his desk and it slowly went inward.

The so-called wall disappeared and a blue force field with an elevator behind it appeared. Jack stood in front of the blue force field and an orange light scanned his body. The force field dissipated and we walked into the elevator.

Project Tartarus was an illegal prison placed underwater, away from invisible to the world. Nations would send their worst criminals here. Murders, Rapists, pedophiles, and such. They would pay a fee for the prisoners' housing and food, which was much smaller than the cost of housing one in their own prisons. And if they didn't pay, we would just drop the prisoners off at an undisclosed location in his home country at an undisclosed time.

These prisoners would be used to produce mindless soldiers. The first step was to have them strapped to a chair that had numerous needles attacked to it. The needles would pierce their body, injecting them with a mixture of necessary nutrients and steroids.

If they survived the first phase, which most did, the next step was placing mind-controlling cybernetics in their brains, making them follow orders with not questions. The cybernetics also contained programs to make the men have knowledge of basic combat knowledge.

Then, we would test how well these men had absorbed the information and if the cybernetics had any faults. Ones deemed deficient or unsatisfactory where to be put away, for further use later.

If the men passed that phase, which had about a seventy percent success rate, they would be given their equipment, basic full-body black ballistic wear, and laser rifles, that used repulsor technology. They would be donned as Shades because they were shells of their former selves.

Almost everyone would think this inhumane, but were these so-called people truly human? I think not.

"How is our progress, Jack," I asked when we descended to the prison. I looked down to see the scum packed up in their cages, like the animals they were. Hench Co. guards herding them to their next destinations.

"The first wave had a sixty-five percent survival rate for the Shade program," Jack answered, "That means sixty-five shades. The second wave of hundred is going under treatment now."

"And the Titan Program?"

The Titans were gigantic heavily armored men, towering about eight feet tall. With a mixture of powerful steroids and cybernetics, they were human tanks.

They felt no pain, able to lift two tons, and were extremely durable. And with their powered exoskeletons, making almost indestructible, unless someone was using large-caliber weapons and explosives.

The only problem was very few could be even considered for the program. And their powered exoskeletons were their lifelines. Without it or if it received considerable damage, a Titan would instantly die.

"I'm sorry sir, but none of the suitable candidates survived the first phase. We were only able to recycle half of them into the Shades. They're slightly more muscular than the average Shade, though."

"Pity," I said, "Have the survivors equipped with sturdier armor. They can serve as shock troopers. Designate them as Vanguards."

"Yes, sir."

"When does the next shipment arrive?"

"Two days. Two hundred, consisting mostly of murders from numerous gangs. Mostly from the South American continent this time."

"Halt their treatments. Send me the reports of the accidents. I will find be able to change some procedures to increase the survival rate," I told Jack. The numbers weren't matching. Something went wrong and I had to find out.

"What of the failures, sir?" he asked, "Most are still able to do minimal manual labor, such as lifting and moving crates that match their body weight."

I knew the man was thinking about downsizing the amount of actual Hench Co. employees here. This free labor that was just lying around was too good for an acute businessman like him to squander.

As time went on, I saw Jack's old self was coming back. He wasn't the almost lifeless puppet anymore. Good for me. That means he could make smart decisions without me having to micromanage him, while still being fully loyal to me. And it was easier to keep up appearances now.

I told Jack to escort me out and back to Middleton. We got back in the Mach Eagle to fly back. Progress here was going well and I believed within a month or two, I would have the forces I needed to enact my first assault on the world.

Nothing too big. Just the constantly moving and hovering headquarters of the Worldwide Evil Empire. The moveable base was almost undetectable, but during my time in The Regime, I had developed countermeasures to its stealth technology. It had been blown out of the sky and salvaged. I even still had my plans to upgrade it to something better.

It would serve as my main headquarters, after the upgrades, until I gained a few small countries under my belt. Probably even then.

I was going to target nations experiencing unrest, due to civil war or some other human-made disaster. The governments, if they had one, were highly unstable and usually barely had a military. They were easy pickings.

After conquering those nations, I would get rid of the problems plaguing the area. Famine? The Regime had created plants with hyper-growth rates and filled with the most vital nutrients a human needed. Disease and plague? The Regime had created numerous vaccines and drugs to combat most diseases. Even some of the incurable ones of the present time.

Before I had left for the past, I had performed a ritual to place all the knowledge of The Regime had acquired within my head. Sensei performed the ritual, of course. I couldn't access the knowledge because that would have overloaded my brain. And the fact I didn't understand some of the technology.

Like teleporter devices. I was smart, genius-level maybe, but not super genius level. Justine, Felix, Vivian, and Wade fitted in that category. And only two had worked for The Regime.

I would have to enlist the help of those ninjas eventually. The knowledge sealed in my head was too valuable. Should I wait until my mandatory two weeks in Yamanouchi Ninja School or contact them somehow earlier?

The flight back to our newly built Middleton base was silent. Flying while the sky changed from clear sunny skies to cloudy, to dusk, and then the night was enjoyable. Something most people didn't get to see.

I had activated our stealth technology when we about fifty miles away. We were unreadable to all detection methods employed by Global Justice.

After landing, I headed to the room where my stuff and car was located. I changed out my suit, gathered my belongings, and got in my car.

Before I started the vehicle, my Omni tool alerted me to someone call my personal cell phone. Only two people had this number. Jack and Bonnie. I knew it was Bonnie since I just had seen the man a few minutes ago.

"Yes, Bonnie?" I answered.

From what a frantic Bonnie just told me, I had to act quickly. "I'm on my way. Leave the area now! I'll handle it."

Great. Bonnie had made a mess and I had to clean it up. I contacted Jack and told him everything that was required. Good thing his company had much experience of sweeping things under the rug, especially when business deals went bad.

* * *

**(With Bonnie; Minutes Before the Call)**

It was 9 P.M. and the girls and I just spent the majority of our day at the mall. Shopping, getting pampered at the indoor spa and eating good food. A relaxing day for us.

We talked endlessly about the upcoming dance and who would we take. Hope was taking a basketball player, a point guard, Chris Nelly. High on the food chain. Good choice.

Tara, on the other hand, chose the obvious, Ron. And his popularity wasn't the problem this time. Not that I let her know.

We had this budding friendship going on. A real friendship! Not the family and Temple association we had for years. An honest friendship. I only had two of those at the moment.

The real Ron I got to know over the last week was so different. And I felt like Tara would be disappointed that he was not her image of her knight in shining armor. Tara wasn't dense or stupid, she would see the cracks of his mask eventually.

The fake Ron would have been almost perfect for her. Just had to get rid of his loyalty to Kim first. No friend of mine was going to be second fiddle to no other girl to the person she was dating!

But maybe she wouldn't mind the real Ron. I didn't know if it was better to let her live with her illusion of him or know the truth.

Since I couldn't decide, I had to think of a way to persuade her to accept one of the numerous guys that had already asked her out. Three of the guys fitted my criteria for her. I knew no funny business was going to be attempted by them.

"Bonnie, when did your father buy a new car?" Hope asked as we walked to the car. It was all the way in the back of the parking lot. We came in the afternoon, so all the parking lots near the front had already been taken.

"I don't know. Probably an impulsive purchase," I lied. Ron had given me the keys to take care of it before he left for that mission, "But it helps since Lonnie and Connie stole mine since both of theirs are in the shop."

"Why is it when something bad happens to one of the twins, the same thing immediately happens to the other?" Hope asked, "It's so weird."

I shrugged. What she was true though. If one of my sisters suffered, then the other one got the same fate right afterward. "Maybe misery does really love company."

It was eerily silent at night, with barely any cars, but the employees, still here.

"Maybe we should have asked of the security guards to walk us back," Tara said, as she moved closer to me. She was getting scared.

Not that I blamed her. I would have also been scared if I didn't have my telekinetic powers. Or still didn't know how to use them at will.

"We live in Middleton with Kim, Tara. All the common crooks are too scared of her to do crime on her home turf," Hope said, trying to reassure the blonde.

I wholeheartedly agreed with this statement. The crime rate in Middleton and Tri-city area was abnormally low for anywhere in the world.

Hope's comment would have worked, if not for a blue Mustang driving up to our side. A very familiar one. It swerved in front of us.

Brick and another meathead, Peter Waterson, emerged from the Mustang. Brick and him slowly approached us.

"What are you doing here, Brick," I hissed out.

"Wondering why you been avoiding me, babe," he answered.

"Don't you call me that. We broke up because you were cheating on me. So there was no reason to speak to you. Now, I ask again, what are you doing here?" I attempted to sound threatening.

"He wants to know why he woke up in his car with a busted lip when he supposedly was in your house earlier," Peter answered for Brick.

The blonde manchild shoved his friend. "Dude! I was going to ask her!"

Peter shrugged. "You were taking too long."

"You had snuck into my house while my sisters' party was going on and approached me in my room. You were drunk and trying to kiss me when I said no! So I removed you from my room myself," I answered.

Peter was laughing at Brick. "Man, you must have been super drunk if you were knocked by a girl!"

Brick's face went red with embarrassment. "Shut up man! I knew I shouldn't have brought you along!"

"Don't get angry with me because you got your ass whooped by a girl!"

As the two idiots argued, I grabbed the arms of my friends and moved to go around the meatheads and the car.

Brick grabbed the back of my shirt, pulling me towards him when I attempted to pass by him. "Where do you think you are going?"

With a little telekinetic power behind it, I smacked his arm away. He was shocked at the force and was rubbing the part of his arm I hit. "Don't touch me again! Unless you want a repeat of the other night!"

"Just leave us alone!" Tara yelled from beside me, Hope also moving to my side.

"You're going to them let speak to you like that! Teach one of those bitches a lesson," Peter instigated. He needed to shut up!

Brick was clenching his fist, face red due to both anger and embarrassment. "No one speaks to me like that!"

All I saw was Tara falling to the ground, Hope yelling her name. Brick had slapped her! That bastard had the gall!

Before I knew what I was doing, I lifted Brick into the air and threw him into his car. The windows shattered, leaving the glass on the ground. A massive indentation from where his body hit was in the sporty car now.

"Fucking Freak!" Peter yelled. He surely was going to run away and tell the police. I couldn't let him escape.

I focused my powers around his giant head, sending him headfirst into the ground. His head bounced back up a few inches before staying on the ground. A small pool of blood appeared underneath his face.

For a few seconds, there was silence. I had to do what I did to protect my friends and myself. I wasn't going to let that blonde oaf get away with he just did!

Speaking of friends, I turned to check on both of them. "You okay, Tara?"

She nodded quietly. I thought about what I had to do now. I couldn't leave the area with Brick and Peter like they are now.

"Stay here. I've got to make a call," I said. I walked a few feet away, keeping an eye on the bodies for any movement. He would be highly upset if I got caught slipping. He had better pick up too. I needed him!

"Yes, Bonnie," he said. I felt immense relief.

I tried to calmly explain what just happened. But I knew my voice was frantic, but if anyone found out about this, I could be in jail. Or worse.

I'm sure the government didn't like people superpowers running around. Especially considering that Shego was running around.

"I'm on my way. Leave the area now! I'll handle it," he ordered, before hanging up.

When I walked back to my friends, I told them were leaving and someone was getting rid of them. I assured them we would not be involved.

They didn't question me. They followed me to the car. When we all got in, I drove off. I tried not to speed on the way back to my house, but I probably did anyway.

"Bonnie," Hope whispered from the back seat, she was holding Tara, "What was that back there?"

"We're not going to judge you, Bonnie. We've been your best friend for years," Tara prompted after I didn't respond to Hope's question, "Don't be afraid to tell us."

"You two remember when we got hit by that sludge from that fish guy, Gill?" They both nodded, "Apparently, some my brain started to develop weirdly, something about abnormalities in my brain or something. That's how I got these powers, telekinesis. The power to move objects without physically touching them, just by thought."

I looked in the rearview mirror. They weren't freaking out or were scared of me, so far. Maybe this wouldn't turn out so bad.

"Does that mean we could have something too?" Hope asked.

I shook my head. "I doubt it. Otherwise, he would have probably mentioned to me already."

"He?" Tara asked. Crap.

"I can't really tell you who, but he has been helping me control my powers," I answered.

"How long have you been training?" Hope asked, "And where?"

"For almost two weeks at my house. Why you ask?"

"Just wondering when you had time to train between hanging with us, cheerleading practice, and doing that project with Ron," she said.

I was getting slightly nervous. She couldn't have figured out it! Ron will be so mad and when he was mad, training was much harsher. I didn't enjoy those sessions.

She had already interrogated me about Ron the other day when she found us in the library that morning. She had asked me if Ron and I were dating. Luckily, Ron gave me a heads up and I was able to create a cover story.

She had pointed out how the last few days I had been spending all my time with him, even extending the project sessions. It was really for training, but at the time I couldn't tell her.

She then asked about the cup of coffee we were sharing. She saw my lipstick on it when Ron was drinking it. She said it was weird for us to be sharing the same cup if we weren't dating.

One thing about Hope was when she caught me off guard, she could get almost anything out of me. I was mad when she even thought I was trying to date him when Tara had this huge crush on him. I might be a bitch, but I wasn't one to steal my friend's potential boyfriend.

"You aren't going to tell us, are you?" Hope asked.

I gripped the steering wheel, hard. "I can't. You just have to accept that I can't."

"And why not? What makes this guy so special that you can't tell us, huh?" Hope sounds upset, for some reason.

"I just can't." Ron wouldn't like that. He was already taking care of the problem I just created. I shuddered to think about how that was going to be fixed. What kind of connections could he have to handle that?

"Is this the same person who is going to fix what happened at the mall?" Tara asked.

"Yes."

Hope sighed. "I'm just worried about Bonnie. You got this mysterious guy training you. We don't when or where you are going to train. What happens if you end up missing one day? What are we supposed to go off? This guy probably has some powerful connections to make what happened tonight just disappear and no one knows about it! I don't like the idea of you being alone by yourself with him!"

"I can handle myself!" I yelled. Hope's caution as endearing, but irritating at the same time.

"Oh really? This guy must have his own set of powers, with way much more control over them than you, if he's training you. I'm sure he could beat you in a fight easily!" Hope yelled back, "Why can't you understand what kind of dangerous situation you placed yourself in? This guy is stronger than you, more influential, and he's got you in his pocket now! Do you think he's ever going to let you walk away? You're in his debt and he's going to collect it one day! You don't know what he would want! What if he wants you to spread your legs for him? What then? You're not going to be able to fight him off like Brick!"

I pressed down the on brakes hard, making the car stop suddenly and all the occupants of the car bodies jerking forward. I turned around to face Hope, glaring at her.

"Ron isn't like that and you know it! He wouldn't ever ask for anything like that! You don't know him as I do! And don't you ever compare him to Brick! He's nothing like that dumbass!" Hope and Tara stared me, wide-eyed. I knew at least some of my telekinetic power was leaking out visibly. Then I realized what I said.

I let out a string of curses. How could I be so careless! Oh God, Ron was going to be so upset with me. The next time I see him was going to be so painful!

"But you just said Ron wasn't going to hurt you!"

Why did Tara just say that? Was I speaking aloud now?

"Yes, and it's starting to freak us out. So stop!" Hope said.

I took a deep breath, calming myself. And making sure my mouth was closed.

"You two have to promise not to tell anyone about Ron or me," I told them, as I started driving again, "Especially Kim. She doesn't know about his powers."

"I don't understand Bonnie. Why wouldn't he tell her?" Tara asked, "She's his best friend!"

"Consider Bonnie wouldn't tell us about her powers until she was forced to show them, are you surprised he didn't tell her," Hope answered, "He's starving for acceptance. He didn't want to be seen as a freak."

Tara and I both glared at her. She needed to stop talking about him like that, at least in our presence.

"But his motto is to never be normal!"

"I don't he means to that abnormal, Tara," I told the blonde.

"So what is he going to do to you if he finds out that you told us about his powers?" Hope asked.

"What do you mean if?"

"He won't know if you don't tell him," Hope answered, "Now answer my question."

"First off, I am going to tell him. No point in lying to him, because he will find out," I told her, "And he's just going to make training extremely strenuous. My body will be strained and sore, but he's got some type of protein shake to where I feel completely new in the mornings."

My phone started ringing. I already knew who it was. "Hey."

"Are you at home yet?" he asked, "And none of you were injured, right?"

"I'm about two minutes away. Tara was hit by Brick, she might start swelling," I answered. I swore I heard him mutter something that sounded like bastard.

"I'll be there in a few minutes. Anything else I need to know?"

Calm yourself, Bonnie. Telling wasn't going to be so bad. "They know about your powers."

Silence at first. Was he trying to contain his anger and then exploded at me?

"We will discuss this when I get there," his voice was cold and emotionless. He hung up without even saying goodbye!

"Is he mad at you?" Tara asked when I put down my cell phone.

"Pissed is more the appropriate word," I answered, as I pulled up to my driveway. Everyone got out and went inside. I told the two to stay in my room as I got ice for Tara's face.

I went to my bathroom to grab a face cloth before I headed back downstairs. Once I got to the kitchen, I got some ice out of the fridge's ice maker, wrapping it with the face cloth.

I got upstairs, I handed the ice pack to Tara, who gingerly placed it against her face. She flinched in pain. Her face hadn't swollen, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Her face was little red though.

My phone rang again and I saw it was Ron. When I answered, he told me to come and open his door. I told Tara and Hope to stay in the room before I went downstairs.

When I opened the door, Ron was glaring at me, eyes shining ice blue. Somehow, that made him even more handsome. Especially with that nice navy blue button-down shirt, shirts rolled up to show off his growing muscles, and slim khaki slacks.

"We need to talk."


	12. Chapter 12

**Warning: This chapter contains things of sexual nature and torture. You have been warned.**

* * *

**(Middleton Mall)**

Today, my boyfriend, Josh, and I went to the mall to make up for the loss of our date. The one Dementor and his shenanigans interrupted. After a little shopping, we had stopped in the cafe area to catch a quick bite. That's when Monique had joined us. She had just got off work.

"So, what do you two think about Ron's new behavior?" I asked, ready to gauge their reactions and comments. Maybe they saw something I missed.

Josh said he really hadn't paid attention to Ron. I was irked by that, which must have been visible since Josh started to apologize. I dismissed it.

Monique told me about the gossiping concern my best friend. It was all about how Mr. Barkin hardly ever yelled at him, or the surprising rise of his grades and turning in homework on time.

And there was him beating up some of the D hall bullies! When did he do this?

He knew better than to hurt people like that, unless they worked for villains or were named Shego. Or sometimes named Bonnie. Stupid slut. I've seen her flirting with him when she thought no one was looking.

Monique was defending him now, saying he only did one attack against Big Mike. Knocking out the lumbering giant out easily.

"How did he do that? I've seen Ron working out a few times, but he doesn't have the muscles yet for that," I said.

Josh was staring at me after that comment I made. "When did you see him work out?"

"Usually he works out early in the morning, in his parent's garage," I answered.

Josh frowned at my answer. Monique was giving me some strange signal. I think she wanted me to stop talking. But why?

"Was he ripped?"  
More questions from Josh. Weird. "No. He has a wiry build, but I definitely see him growing a six-pack. His biceps were also toning up nicely."

Josh was looking at himself now, his eyes paying close to attention to his arms. "Do I seem scrawny to you, Kim?"

I finally noticed the hint of jealousy in his voice. Oh!

"No baby! You're slim with some muscles."

"But enough muscle. Ron does all that extreme physical things with you during those missions and he has decided to bulk up some," he said, "Guess I need to also."

Monique and I shared a look. We both wanted to know what he meant by that last comment.

"Why?" We both asked.

Josh took a deep breath. "I want to join you on your missions. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't try to protect my girlfriend from such dangerous situations? I would feel awful if you got hurt on the missions."

I felt butterflies in my stomach, just like when Josh first arrived at my school. I knew something was different about him from the other guys I crushed on. All my other boyfriends never offered to help with my world-saving adventure.

Josh always tried to help. He helped me with my workload. He took Ron's spot as a spotter in the cheerleading squad, until we get a new mascot. He also didn't try to be a barrier between Ron and me, like all the others did. He recognized the importance of it. He even changed the days of our dates to accommodate my ever-changing schedule. He wasn't perfect, but he was damn perfect.

I agreed to let him come on missions. After a few crash courses in martial arts, of course! I didn't want him to get hurt. He said he knew some boxing from his father. It wasn't enough, not that I said that. I told him that it was nothing wrong with expanding his skills, not wanting to be insulting.

"Kim, I got a... uh...request," he said nervously after we finished discussing the details of his training.

"What?"

"Could you not go spy on Ron when he's working out?" he asked, "I'm not comfortable with that."

I agreed, understanding what he meant. I wouldn't like him gawking at the opposite sex. I couldn't believe how insensitive I was being earlier. Ugh!

"Better if you don't spy on him at all, Kim," Monique added, "Give the guy his privacy."

"This is ironic, coming from the Queen of Gossip."

Monique ignored my comment. "You trust him, right?"

I nodded.

"Then you should know he can take care of himself. He isn't the cowering goofball you still see with your nostalgia glasses. He's grown somewhat, and he's going to keep growing. You're going to have to accept the changes that come with that or you're going to push him away."

I had already accepted this fact. I had to allow Ron to grow for the benefit of himself. I couldn't smother him anymore. He had to make his own choices now.

Was I really that bad that others noticed? I asked the pair.

"There is a running joke that Ron is your lap dog. Doing anything you say without question," Josh told me, "When I first came to Middleton, it seemed true. But I know better now."

I was fuming. It was bad enough how poorly everyone thought of Ron already, but now this! I turned to Monique, ordering her to dispel these ugly rumors about Ron's friendship with me. She nodded vigorously, proud that I was willing to help improve Ron's social life.

Something I realized I should have done earlier. Much earlier. I was damn near the top of the stupid food chain Bonnie cared about so much. The one her elder sisters created before I started to attend Middleton High.

If I had used my popularity to help him earlier, what would have changed? Would he have gotten bullied less? Would he be dating a respectable female now? Not some harlot like Bonnie.

I regret not helping earlier. It made me feel crummy on the inside. But I was going to help him now and support whatever decision he makes!

Josh said he knew Ron would appreciate it. And Monique agreed. I felt a little better.

* * *

**(Days Later: Stoppable Household)**

I just finished watching the video of Kimberly training Josh to fight on my Omni tool. She thought she was teaching him martial arts. She was wrong.

Martial arts were mind and body. The body was the techniques and the mind was the philosophy.

She was only teaching him body, no mind. He would be no better than just hired muscle to her. Silly girl.

I remembered when she told me about Josh possibly joining her team. She wanted to know if I had any objections.

Of course, I didn't, to her surprise. She was overjoyed and glad I got past the grudge I had against her boyfriend.

I was not one to waste an opportunity over petty grudges. Josh being on the team would allow the two to become closer and grow the desire to spend more time together. Giving Kimberly less time to snoop at me. A hobby she has recently picked up and it's grating my nerves. Josh would a great distraction.

Much better than the biomechanical android, model 901. Or as Drakken called it, synthodrone 901, Eric. I didn't have to worry about Josh betraying her, making Kimberly overall more cautious about everyone she knew. Josh was soft, but loyal.

But Josh joining us on the team was a double edge sword. That was another pair of eyes to watch me during missions for anything out of the ordinary. Plus, Kimberly had gained another ally for the impending fight between us. She already had Monique, Wade, her family, Global Justice, and various governments.

I had Bonnie, Jack, and just a small army. The power I wielded now was an ember compared to her flame. While in the future, I had all the resources and she was the one scraping for resources across the world. How the tables have turned.

My student finally awoke; I knew by the lessened amount of weight on my lap. She had fallen asleep after training and personal hygiene.

She had gotten bored of watching Kimberly and Josh trained on the Omni tool. I showed off a few of my inventions to her as a sign of trust. And a reward for getting her friends to stay quiet about the Brick Incident.

The gadgets I made amazed her, saying they were so much better than Kim's. I might have felt a little smug about that.

"Moring Ronnie," she drawled out, as she stretched and yawned.

"It's still the afternoon, Bon Bon," I said, "You can keep resting if you like. I'm going to the garage to train."

She muttered some form of an acknowledgement as I got up and left. I went downstairs to get to the garage. The house was empty, as my parents had left for another business trip.

When I made it there, I took off the black t-shirt I wore, staring into the full body mirror I had placed. I looked over myself.

Instead of the present me, I saw what I used to have. A lean build packed with well-toned muscles all over. Nothing too big to slow me down. The perfect combination of speed and muscle.

I heard Bonnie enter the garage. I turned to face her, she was leaning on the door frame.

"I'm surprised you weren't kissing your biceps or something," she said, amused to catch me checking myself out.

I flexed the mentioned muscles, "It's not enough."

She raised an eyebrow to this. "You trying to become a giant muscle freak like the football jocks?"

I made a noise of disgust. "I'm not going to become a slow-moving wall of muscle."

"A lot of females like that."

"They'll grow out of it soon."

Bonnie walked over to me. She placed her hands right above my belly button, gliding over my growing abs to my pectorals. "I like the progress being made here."

She looked me in the eyes, blushed furiously, before breaking away from my gaze. She had been doing that a lot lately. She never did before.

Deciding to confront her on this, I ordered her to look at me. She complied.

Before she could look away though, I grasped her jaw with a firm, but tender grip. "Why do you keep looking away from me? What has changed?"

She didn't answer. She looked off to the side, instead.

"Stop looking away. Now answer me."

She reverted her eyes back to mine. She opened her mouth to say something, but immediately closed it again.

This was getting aggravating. "You used to be so brazen. While your compliance is satisfactory, but I do miss that sass of yours."

Still not answering. Time to mess with her. I slid my thumb over her lips. Her knees buckled. "That fire you had was so much more entertaining. I liked it much better. Now you are so subservient."

She was still quiet, just staring at me. "I guess you wouldn't mind what I'm about to do next then."

"Ron," she whispered. Too late now Bonnie.

"Shush. You had your chance to answer," I silenced her, "I told you to do something so simple, but you constantly refused to comply. I can take a little insubordination."

"But you just said," I placed my index finger over her mouth, stopping her from talking anymore.

"No more talking. Now is the time for punishment."

I placed my index finger on top of the middle of her bottom lip. Her eyes widen comically as I pressed my finger forward. There was no resistance until my finger met her teeth.

"Open."

Her teeth out of the way now, I pressed further. The familiar warmth of her mouth awoken something in me. Carnal desires I hadn't felt in years. I started to go back and forth with my finger.

Those desires only got worse as she closed her eyes and started to suck on my finger. Memories of her doing the same thing on a different appendage replaced what I was currently seeing.

I pulled out my finger, a loud popping noise accompanied by its release. Bonnie was breathing hard and there was slight chill on my now wet finger.

Bonnie opened her currently glazed eyes. And then they were suddenly alert. She must have just processed what recently happened.

"I should go." She left, running out of the house. I heard her car's engine starting and the screeching of tires afterward.

It was for the best. Any longer and I would have carried her off to my bed. And I was too horny for her first time. I wouldn't be gent and I didn't want to traumatize her.

Stupid teenage hormones! I would have never pushed the boundaries like that I was in my original body.

At least now, I knew she was going to be upset with me for the next few days, maybe weeks. That's fine with me. I wanted Bonnie to be loyal, but not a puppet cowering to my every whim. I had Jack and the Shades for that.

Now I had to deal with this heat of mine. Luckily, Jack called, notifying me that Global Justice and Fiske were heading to another artifact. And Will Du was being deployed.

Oh yes. A two for one? There will be much to be enjoyed on this little rendezvous.

* * *

**(Rockwaller Residence; Bonnie's Room)**

I was lying down on my bed, panting hard. I just got rid of my problem, one caused by Ron.

Why did I even let him do that to me? Ever since that talk we had after Brick thing, I've been acting like one scrubs of the food chain trying to garner the respect of a higher up.

I felt a little pathetic. But no other man made me feel like that. So weak and the unfathomable hunger to be wanted. Most guys I was used to having wrapped around my finger. I even had my Dad like that! Hope would say most daughters could do the same and probably already were doing it.

But not Ron. I could tell he was attracted to me, but he wasn't going to bend over backward for me. No! He made me do all the work for the affection I craved.

I admit it. I wanted Ron. Hope had a talk with me on the day after Brick. I finally realized I had been crushing on him. Hope said she wouldn't tell Tara, but she wanted to know what I would do if Tara still showed interest in Ronnie. I didn't have an answer for that. She just wished that we didn't fight and break our friendship over him.

And she made fun of my nickname for Ron.

"Changing his name all ready to fit in with the family? You are crushing hard! More than Kim was when Josh arrived." She had said.

I got up and changed out of my clothes. I had a little cleaning to do now. I took off the sheets and comforter of my bed.

I had smashed them into a big ball that could fit in my arms. I headed to the laundry room, hoping to avoid my sisters. But luck wasn't my side.

The two were starting to do their own laundry, already separating their clothes into piles by color. Crap.

"Just drop your stuff. We will handle it," Lonnie said.

"Yeah. Cause you're too stupid to color code anyway," Connie said right afterward.

I really hated my sisters at times. I was making better grades than them. They had no right to call me stupid.

Ronnie didn't think I was stupid. He always complimented me on how easily I could figure out things, academics, or people. I bet he would shut up both of them right now.

"I'll just come back later and do my own," I told them, preparing to leave the room.

My sisters looked at one another, before smirking and darting across the room. They pushed me over, causing all my sheets and comforter to fly in the air.

No! I couldn't let them see _**that!**_ I would never live down the embarrassment! But I was too late, Lonnie was holding it.

They were both stifling their laughter.

"Bonnie has been a very naughty girl," Lonnie said in between fits of laughter.

"What guy got you all hot and bothered?" Connie asked, as she giggled.

"Give it back!"

"No need to be embarrassed, Bon Bon. It's natural to want to do that if the guy doesn't want to be intimate," Lonnie said.

"Bet she was just too ugly for the guy," Connie snickered, "He was just probably super horny, but had second thoughts."

"I mean she doesn't really have anything to offer, because I got all the beauty," Lonnie said, started that dreaded catchphrase of theirs.

"And I got all the brains!" Connie finished, making them both crackle like old wrinkled witches. Which I'm sure they really were in disguise.

I wasn't going to listen to them anymore. With my increased speed and strength from training, I easily got the undergarment away from my sister and ran back upstairs. They didn't know anything! Ron didn't think I was ugly.

Right?

* * *

**(Small Non-Inhabited Island of Japan)**

I felt excitement run through my body, containing the energy it gave me behind my perfect stature of professionalism.

One of the senior agents told me to keep an eye on the canopy of the trees. Because of Monkey Fist and his monkey ninjas.

I will never understand how that crazed man somehow trained uncouth primates to be adept users of martial arts and stealth. But could anyone understand the mind of a crazy person, other than another crazy?

I thought about the only other person I knew of that had a hyper skilled animal companion. Ronald Stoppable, with his naked mole-rat. The sidekick of Kimberly Possible. The buffoon, as Shego would call him.

I wouldn't call him a buffoon. He had above-average intelligence, it was his childish nature that made he seem like a dunce.

I remember The Ron Factor, where everyone in our research department was convinced that somehow, he was the true key for Kimberly's success.

Fools. The guy wasn't particularly skilled in anything, but running. He hadn't been trained in martial arts like Kimberly or had her high level of intuition.

That's why when those goons said Ronald had beat them up, I had to prove them wrong. I easily defeated him when Dr. Director brought him down to the headquarters for evaluation. It was best for him.

Maybe the humiliation would give him the drive to catch up with Kimberly, who was very skilled. Yes, I was willing to say that. She just didn't follow regulation of any kind. She was a loose cannon.

But I don't place all the blame for his lack of skills on him. The majority of it belongs to Kimberly, the supposed leader of Team Possible.

It was her responsibility to oversee the training of her subordinates and make sure they had the necessary skills to complete a mission. She didn't. She only focused on herself.

That's another reason I called her an amateur. No military, law enforcement, or government agency would allow such undertrained personal on any mission.

She was placing a big risk on her friend's life. If he didn't have the natural speed and agility that outclassed hers, he would probably be dead by now.

When I had defeated Ronald the other day, I begged for Dr. Director to have Global Justice to train him. Off the books if needed. I would have done it. It would be terrible for the organization if the guy died, especially considering we were the main ones dropping him off in such dangerous areas!

She denied my request. How could she be blind to the raw potential in Ronald? He would be an excellent agent! He was barely rememberable, no news outlet could get his name right. He was perfect for infiltration.

Probably too fixated on Kimberly. Trying to groom the girl to be the next Director.

Kimberly had the skills and the potential to fit the job, but not the mindset. She was too pure. I don't think she could stomach some of the organization's darker operations. I couldn't.

I was snapped out of my pondering when we reached the area Monkey Fist was located. We found the maniac shouting about how an amulet was going to let him ascend to a higher plane of existence. Great, he was about to go on a rant about the supposed Mystical Monkey Powers that existed.

Before the rant of his could start or the fight between us and the monkey ninjas, a large aircraft, which seemed to be a modified Osprey, appeared above us. It was hovering in the air without the usual propellers, using some strange technology instead. Something to be investigated.

Pods shot out from the belly of the massive vessel and everyone dispersed to avoid the incoming dropped loads. The ground shook as the pods landed, throwing many of us off balance.

Men in all black armor busted out of the pods, armed with some form of laser rifles. A flurry of red beams soared through the air. And with no cover, all the agents and the ninja monkeys were taken down.

Only Monkey Fist and I were left standing. Dread filled my stomach. All the fully trained agents had been disabled in a matter of seconds. Or worse, killed.

Now I, a trainee, stood alone against a small platoon of highly trained men, armed with sophisticated weaponry. The odds were against me.

There was one unopened pod. A man about my size came out, fitted in armor that put the others' to shame. While the minions were fitted in standard ballistic armor that you would see on any modern soldier, the obvious leader had some strange black metal armor on.

He had a full face combat helmet on, with a black visor to hide his eyes. His chest piece was filled with interlocking plates. The shoulder guards had angled ends. He had full arm gauntlets that had various padding on it. The greaves were the same.

"You!" Monkey Fist yelled, "Give me back all the artifacts you stole from me! It's bad enough you took the power of the jade monkey idols!"

Monkey Fist knew who this was. If I could escape back to the Osprey, with him tagging along, maybe back at headquarters, someone could get that piece of very valuable information out of him.

"Finish him off, leave the Global Justice agent to me." His voice was altered.

Monkey Fist had to perform all types of inhuman acrobatics to dodge the stream of lasers aimed at him. As I saw this as my chance to getaway. I took only three steps before I was lifted in the air by my uniform's collar.

I looked back to see the leader holding me. "Where do you think you were going?"

He then launched me across the forest, straight into Monkey Fist. Our bodies got tangled together as skidded across the ground.

Monkey Fist easily untangled himself from me. "Foolish boy! You…"

Whatever else he had to say was drowned out by his howls of pain as red beams pelted his back. He fell face-first into the ground. I got up, ready to dodge the incoming fire.

The leader walked calmly towards me. His men weren't aiming at me. What did he want with me? I stood my ground, ready to fight this foe. He would underestimate me and I could take him out with one attack afterward.

"I've been waiting for a chance to find you in the field. One where you would get what deserved," he said, confusing me, "Fight me, fool. The first strike is free. Any punch, kick, or grab is allowed."

He was the fool. I shot my Taser watch at him. He grabbed the back of probes and his armor started to glow blue. He yanked on the wires, pulling me towards him.

He grabbed me by the throat, keeping me suspended in midair. His grip was nearly crushing my neck. "I never told you that you could use your little shiny toys. I said fight."

The man slammed me headfirst into the ground, the Earth quaking and shattering from the amount of force he used. It was inhuman! Was he a metahuman, like the Go siblings? Or was his suit providing the power?

My head was being pounding in pain. I almost fell unconscious from that one blow. My back felt sharped edges rip into it. Probably from the jagged rocks that had been made from the Earth-shattering.

I'm sure my skull had a few fractures and I could feel my warm blood trickling down my head and back as he lifted me out of the small crater he made.

I could barely stay conscious after that blow, let alone fight out of his grip. He had to be one of the metahumans, having this super strength.

I hanged in midair limply as he talked about how painful my punishment was going to be. Punishment? What did I personally do to this man?

He dropped me. I shuddered in pain as my back hit the ground again. I felt my jaw break as the villain's armored boots kicked it.

Was he going to torture me now? I wasn't going to tell him anything, no matter what he did!

His boot was on my chest and he signaled his men to come to him. I could barely make out the orders he gave them.

Four of them each grabbed one of my appendages. The black-clad villain relieved the pressure from my chest and walked over my right wrist. He gently pressed on it with his boot, before lifting the boot up and slamming into the ground.

The sounds of bones being crushed and the pain caused me to scream in anguish. He repeated this process for my other wrist and two ankles. I hope I didn't cry at any point from the immense pain. I didn't need to lose the shred of my dignity here.

I felt myself about to fall unconscious before I felt a prickling sensation on my neck. I saw the man had used a needle to inject me with some foreign chemicals. I felt adrenaline flow through my body, stopping me from joining the blissful state of unconscious.

Some of the subordinates had propped me up against a tree, allowing me to see what was currently happening. Monkey Fist and my compatriots were tied up and bound. My allies weren't gagged, but Fist was for whatever reason. I didn't care. All I cared about right now that they were still alive. I felt a sliver of happiness to know none of them had died.

The minions were picking up the agents and placing them in a large pile that made a horseshoe in front of me. My allies were all yelling to be released, so they could defeat him. The man, no monster, pointed at me.

They all went quiet, faces pale. I must have looked a pathetic mess. He said I would end up like me before he left if they didn't shut up. That shut them up.

The monster then walked over to me. "Tell Betty I look forward to doing business with her soon."

What? I didn't understand. How did he even know Dr. Director's first name?

More of his men appeared, carrying the Osprey Pilot and Copilot, both tied up and bounded. They were added to the pile.

Some more men arrived, carrying gas canisters. They then drenched the area by everyone in front of me, but left not near me.

"Burn this place," the monster ordered as his aircraft descended. His men, a carried Monkey Fist, and he entered, leaving us and the monkeys on the islands.

Fires arose all around the island, slowly moving towards us that was left behind. I looked up to see the aircraft fly away. To safety.

The screams of my allies caused me to look back down. Everyone was on fire and for some strange reason, I couldn't look away.

I wondered if I was going to die soon. But where would I go? Because with the smell and sight of burning people and their bloodcurdling screams, this place was surely hell. And what have I done to be in this place.

All I wanted in life was to be a great hero! Like Kim Possible, or Hego of Team Go! Why must I suffer this fate? I was a good guy!

I'm sure I'm sobbing by now, finally breaking. Or maybe breaking more? I was just ready to die now.

But I couldn't get what I wanted. The fires died down and I saw Global Justice agents arrived to save the day! Woohoo! They were fashionably late to the party.

They grabbed me and put me on the medical cot, taking me to an Osprey. Dr. Director was on board. Her face mixed with anger, disgust, and concern. So different from her usual stoic expression.

She asked me what happened. I did what the monster told me to do.

"He says he can't wait to do business with you, Dr. Director."


	13. Chapter 13

**(Stoppable Residence)**

Today I just wanted a day to myself, but I had forgotten what day of the week it was. Friday or Ron's night Kimberly call it.

The day that was supposed to be for Kimberly and I hang out. Just the two of us.

When she arrived at my house, thirty minutes to go, I was perplexed as to why she was here. She immediately got upset and reminded me what this day was.

Once she finished reprimanding me, she dropped her stack of movies and prepared to make a humongous bowl of popcorn.

I glanced over the movies, a pile of nothing but chick flicks and a few comedies. The comedies I could enjoy, but the chick flicks? Was she trying to torture me? Maybe this was her revenge against me for quitting the mascot role. She still mentioned it from time to time, so she still had to be mad.

She came back with the popcorn and sat beside me on the couch. I had put in one of the comedies, refusing to see a chick flick.

"So how's the thing between you and Bonnie been going?" she asked, as I tried to start the movie. She snatched the remote from me before I could press play.

I gave her a questioning glance. "Thing?"

"Yes. The thing! You never told me if you two are friends," she explained, before scrunching her face together in disgust, "Or dating."

"Why does me possibly dating Bonnie still bother you so much? I thought you got past this."

"Why did me dating Josh used to bother you so much?" she fired back, "Answer that!"

"I'll admit I was jealous about all the time you were spending with him," I explained, "Just like when Monique came to Middleton."

Kim started to explain herself. She still believed Bonnie was taking an interest in me to get dirt on the redhead. But she knew I was going to say anything. And she also felt like the brunette was going to only date me for a few days before dumping me some extremely humiliating way.

"I wouldn't mind if it was someone with a genuine interest in you, like Tara," she said.

"Even though you scared her off?" I couldn't resist the opportunity.

Her face was flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine. At least I know it's now because you're looking out for me," I said, before cracking a grin, "Thanks, KP."

She smiled back. Some childish impulse of mine caused me to flick a piece of popcorn at her teeth. She shot one back. A fight ensured.

A few minutes into the fight, someone was knocking on the door. I checked my phone for any messages. None. Who could it be?

I told Kimberly to wait a second before starting the movie. I got up to answer the door. Peering through the peek hole, I saw Tara and Bonnie. Why didn't she alert me of this? Oh, she was going to get it later.

"Ron!" my fellow blonde yelled as she gave me a huge hug. I returned it, but not with nearly as much enthusiasm.

The few interactions I had with Tara since that fateful night, the girl had been as friendly as the time I saved the cheerleading team from Gill. I didn't know if she acted this friendly for Bonnie's sake, as Hope did, or because infatuation she still had. Probably a mixture of both.

When Tara passed by me bad I heard her chattering with Kimberly, I gave Bonnie the look. The one that promised a painful training segment soon. Very soon. She had flinched.

After recovering, Bonnie's eyes met Kimberly's. The two glared at one another.

"What is she doing here?" both hissed, now glaring at me. Those two could be so alike at times. I shrugged, waiting on an answer from Bonnie or Tara.

"I thought Ron would like some company today since you were supposed to be going on a date tonight," Bonnie said, still glaring at Kimberly.

"Josh wanted to surprise me, but he forgot I usually spend Fridays with Ron. It's called Ron night," Kimberly responded, before turning her glare on me, "Where we spend time only with each other."

"Ron night? That sounds a nickname for date night to me," Bonnie said, smirking, "How did Josh take your rejection?"

Kimberly gritted her teeth, "He took it well."

No, he didn't. Bonnie made it obvious with her growing smirk. I could see Tara trying to mentally to tell Bonnie to be quiet.

"I heard he was pretty upset about his girlfriend not coming to his art show and the dinner afterward," Bonnie said mockingly, before looking pointedly at me, "I would always show support for whatever man I may choose."

Message received Bonnie. But I had to put an end to this, before it got out of hand.

"Kim, I think you should go see Josh," I said, getting a look shock from everyone, but Bonnie, of course, "I appreciate you wanted to hang out with me, but Bonnie's right. I would have understood why you would canceled tonight. I know my past actions make it hard for you to want to talk about these kinds of things with me, but please don't be afraid to do so."

I gave Bonnie another look, one that Tara caught, to get that smug smirk off her face. She's been pushing it since she got inside.

"You're right, Ron," Kimberly said, "I guess I should apologize to him."

I nodded. "And get one of his favorite foods too. Trust me on this KP, a guy's stomach is the key to his heart."

She thanked me for the advice and told me to drop off the movies tomorrow. She then left, already on the phone with her boyfriend.

"Bonnie, you know you went too far!" Tara scolded her friend. Took the words right out of my mouth.

"Tara, did you really want her here?" Bonnie asked.

"I wouldn't have minded."

"Well, I would have! I wasn't going to deal with her any more than I had to."

As the two cheerleaders went back and forth, I sat down on the couch. Once I had started the movie, the pair stopped arguing and took seats beside me.

Within minutes of the movie starting, Tara had moved to a position where she could comfortably place her head on my shoulder, while holding my arm to get as close as possible to me. Bonnie had her hand over mine, fingers interwoven with mine. I didn't tell either to stop because I was quite comfortable myself.

* * *

**(Undetermined Location)**

I found myself floating in a strange realm filled with to the brim with a sky blue background. I noticed I was in my original body. And I felt the overflowing amount of Mystical Monkey Power here.

I tried to absorb some of the raw energy. When I did, my body felt like it was on fire. Scratch that. It was on fire.

"Foolish mortal!" a high pitched feminine yelled, before I could panic and the azure flames were doused. "And I thought you were more patient than that."

I looked in the direction of the voice. A girl, around the age of eleven, of Japanese descent with long silky black hair, chestnut brown eyes, and a dark red Kimono on. Blood red.

"It's finally nice to meet you in person, Ronald," she said, "You think we would have met earlier with all the foes with we have slain and blood spilled together. Good times those battles were. But now you rarely take me out, leaving me alone and locked in a room."

"Who are you and where is this?" I asked, the apparently bloodthirsty teenager.

She pouted. "You don't recognize me, even though you told about the relationship we have? I gave you all the clues!"

"Lotus Blade?"

She nodded excitedly. "Yep! But you can call me Hisako."

"Okay, Hisako. Where am I and why did you bring me here?"

She giggled. "Silly Ronald, this is your mindscape. And I never brought you here. You came here yourself. Stumbling through too! I had to stop you before you met Monkey-sama!"

"Monkey-sama?"

"His real name is Hiruzen-sama, but I call him Monkey-sama because he took the form on one those Japanese snow monkeys about a millennia ago," she explained, "I always prefer being in human form, so don't worry about coming here and seeing me as an otter."

"Now that you aren't under that horrible woman's influence or moping in some hut in the mountains, I can help you unlock your chakras so you can complete your goals and master your powers," she said happily, "You've been so blogged up for years!"

"Who is this woman you speak poorly of?"

"Shego the Kermit! Or as you call her, The Supreme One!"

I growled at her. "You will cease to speak of her in that manner!"

Hisako stuck her tongue out at me, unintimidated. "I'm so scared! You upgraded from harmless lapdog of Kim to the big bad wolf of Shego! What a promotion that was!"

"I'm no one's pet."

"Now you aren't, which I'm really happy about," she said, "What's with you always being under the thumb of powerful women? Are you a masochist? If you like that kind of stuff, I could be your mistress!"

"Ignoring the fact you look like an eleven-year-old, You're a supernatural weapon whose only interaction with real-world is mass destruction and murder. You can slice through anything, making you unstoppable in the right hands."

Hisako blushed and hid her face behind her hands. "Stop it, Ronald! You're making me blush!"

I did not want to be here anymore. This crazy female being kept degrading The Supreme One and having mood swings. Plus, she thinks me talking about how deadly she is flirting, somehow. I was just stating facts.

From what I remember my protégé telling me, supernatural beings were always eccentric, typical focusing one or a few aspects of their former lives. I didn't have much experience dealing with these things. Unless, you count cutting them up with Hisako and watching the remains turn a roaring flame of blue.

"Hisako, could you tell me how unlocking my chakras will help me?" I asked.

"It will give you an immense boost in using your ki," she said, "That's what your power is called, not the long-winded Mystical Monkey Powers title you gave it. Just ki."

She went to give a long explanation of chakra and ki. The ki part was small. It was just the supernatural energy I possessed. Chakras was much longer. There seven of them, each location at certain parts of the body. Each one was connected to certain aspects of life, such as survival, love, wisdom, and truth. She placed a heavy emphasis on truth.

"So all my chakras are blocked?" I asked.

"The majority of them are, but a few of them are a little open," she said, "Just barely, like a slit. You do have one open!"

"Which one?"

She said it was the Root chakra's, located at the base of the spine, the balance depends on having a strong foundation that makes one feel secure and safe. My militaristic history, knowledge of the future, perseverance, and ability to adapt to any situation kept me grounded, never fearing the next day.

And somehow, the Root chakra carried all the qualities of survival from a person's ancestors. It was part of their genetic heritage. The Jewish people have survived many persecutions and even genocide.

I told Hisako that when I left this place I was going to do research on these Chakras, when time permitted. This surprised her because I was the first to attempt to do this. Others wouldn't, or couldn't in some cases. They would just wait until they talked to Hisako again to gain the knowledge. Lazy bums. Knowledge was power.

She was excited to see what I read because she wanted to pick apart whatever foolishness I sought out. I told her not to get excited because I wasn't going to grab the first book I saw on chakras. I was going to read one by a reputable author. She pouted, like the child she appeared to be, telling me I was trying to ruin what little fun she could have.

A black whirling portal appeared behind me, pulling me slowly towards it.

"Tell Bonnie I said hi!" Hisako told me.

"She wouldn't believe me if I told her about you. Probably think I was crazy and that would be detrimental to my plans."

Hisako threw her sandal so fast at me, I was unable to dodge. I didn't even see her take it off!

"Don't doubt her! She would definitely believe anything you told her. She almost trusts you unconditionally! But don't take advantage of her or there will be hell to pay!"

"Sounds like you actually like her."

"I do! She's someone you can really open up to this time. The one you should tell about all your worries and secret! Unlike the other two you had followed before. Especially Shego."

"Supreme One."

She rushed up to me and flick me in the forehead. That shit stung! "Whatever Ronald. Wake up now!"

She pushed me into the portal. All I saw was her stupid smirk before darkness.

* * *

**(Middleton; Secret Facility)**

Bodies of broken men were scatter around me, while I stood tall in my all-black battle suit. These were some of the prisoners I requested Jack to send to this newly built underground facility.

This place housed many of workshops I needed to create all the necessary tools I would need. All under the guise of a scientific research company, called Star Labs.

I men I had just defeated hand been armed with numerous weapons, all with the intent to kill me. I needed to keep my sense sharp. They were promised freedom if they could kill me. Not one fool could lay a hit on me. Not that I was surprised.

"Send them to their cells and get their treatments ready. I need them repaired as quickly as possible," I said. Large human-like robots rushed in the room, gathered the men and the weapons, and then left.

I went to my personal quarters, to refresh. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, I headed to the robotics workshop.

All the robots I had created were used surveillance and a bunch of miscellaneous tasks. This freed human labor to do more important tasks. Why waste them doing stuff like janitorial duties and cleaning, when they could do much more?

Jack wholeheartedly agreed with me. He saw the reduction of costs and instantly started to produce the machines. For him and me. Always the businessman first.

I went to the table that my current project was located at. There was a metallic skull that was an exact replica of my mine. This was the start of the Android Beta.

It was going to be a robotic duplicate of me, based off Drakken's androids he used. I refused to use that other stupid name he made, they were androids and that was they will be called. I was using Android 901's design in particular, allowing Android Beta to have a complete human appearance. Complete with hair, synthetic skin and nails, and machine generated plasma to intimate blood.

The goo Drakken used to keep his androids upright was going to be replaced with a titanium alloy skeletal frame. His "organs" would be his power sources, with a mechanical heart to pump the plasma and create a heartbeat.

It would be a decoy for when I was away for extended amount of times. I would soon need to be gone for days at a time. And I couldn't do that without Kimberly summoning a large force to conduct a worldwide search party.

I went to working on Android Beta. I had plans to integrate a weapons system in its frame. Give it the ability to shoot beams out of the palms of its hands and eyes in small bursts. I would also add the ability for it to shoot a devastating large beam from its chest.

Hopefully, it would never get to that point. The martial arts programming should be enough for even the most powerful hand to hand combatants. Android Beta should be able to protect itself and the charges I assign to it.

Images of my mother, father, a raven haired awkward preadolescence boy, telekinetic brunette. Even Kimberly. But the most important was sadly unavailable. One day she would be though.

* * *

**(Rockwaller Residence)**

"Saw you talking to Justine today," Bonnie said, her head in my lap as we laid in her bed, "A lot."

I was finishing reading the last report about the shades from Jack on my Omni tool. All of it was in Japanese, so Bonnie couldn't snoop. It was the only reason I was so bold to read them in her face. "Yes, I did."

"Why?"

"I want to build a friendly association with her," I told the brunette, "She will be useful later."

"How?"

"Her super-genius intelligence allows to her build devices most humans will be incapable of understanding. Even me."

She stared at me in doubt. "When?"

"No set date, but hopefully by the end of the school year."

"What's so important you need some overly complicated inventions from her that makes you wait so long?"

I didn't answer. She started to poke my chest, demanding an answer. She got up from the bed when I still refused to answer her.

She then went on a rant about there was no reason for me to train her if she wasn't going to be involved in any of my plans. That all the time spent training was a waste for both of us, time that could have been spent elsewhere.

I stopped reading and looked up at her. She was glaring at me, arms crossed and eyes narrowed, "What do you want?"

"I want to be in the know. I'm tired of being in the dark! Whatever you're doing is big and I'm tied into it," she explained, "You got some plane to use my powers to your advantage and I just want to know. Is that too much to ask for?"

"Maybe."

She huffed and puffed and stormed around the room, like a child having a tantrum when denied their sweets. "Come on Ron! I've been silent on your powers, I even got Hope and Tara to be quiet. Then there is the night with Brick. You made him and his friend disappear, no traces. I'm now an accessory to kidnapping and got my friends roped in it! I deserve to know something at least!"

I got up from the bed and walked away a short distance, my back facing her. "You're right. You have proven loyalty."

"Finally! So what's first?"

"I need exact measurements of your body. Take off your clothes."

I expected an outburst of anger or her demanding a further explanation. Not silence, followed by the rustling of clothing.

I turned back around to see her only in her undergarments, about to take off her bra. Seeing her like that made something long forgotten awake in me. "You can leave those last two pieces on."

Bonnie looked at me, slightly blushing. "You said you needed exact measurements. Wouldn't my sports bra get in the way? It's not as thin as my others."

She was starting to remove the bra again, I felt myself getting more aroused. I stepped forward and grabbed her arms to stop her.

"You will be wearing it anyway for what I have planned," I said.

She wasn't looking me in the eyes. My eye twitched in aggravation, she knows I hated when she didn't look at when I spoke to her. But then I noticed she was looking downward.

Her eyes were wide as saucers. She pressed her hand against it, softly rubbing it through my pants. "Seems like junior has woken up."

My nostrils flared as I moved her hand away. "Stop!"

"Okay Ronnie. Just let me put my clothes back on," she said, slightly smirking.

She turned around, slowly bending down to pick her clothes. She was pressed right up against my crotch, rubbing against me. I grabbed her by the hips, grinding against her. She stood back up and placed her hand behind my head.

I started to suck on her neck as we got into a slow rhythm. We picked up the speed when she started moaning. I was at my tipping point, I had to regain control of myself or we were going to be in her bed very soon.

Her moaning the pet nickname she gave me was what snapped me out of my horny fit. I stopped whatever I was doing and put some distance in between the two of us. I was still very aroused, but I was back in control. Stupid hormonal teenage body!

Bonnie looked into my eyes, hers filled with confusion, disappointment, and what seemed to be hurt. Why would she be hurt?

She came to me and hugged me. "Why did you stop Ronnie? Did I do something wrong?"

"You did nothing wrong. I just don't think our first time should be like this. It should be more meaningful, after a special occasion or something," I said. Well, her first time. But then again, I was in my younger body, who is a virgin. Would that mean I'm physically a virgin and mentally experienced?

Some of the hurt in her eyes was gone, making me oddly feel better. "So you do want to do it?"

"Of course! I was so close the throwing on your bed and ravaging you. I would love to hear you yell my name while you orgasmed," I told her truthfully, "But then your father would hear us and come running in with his shotgun. Then I would have to flee, running down the streets butt naked to my parents' house."

She giggled at this, while placing her head against my chest and still hugging me.

"Then my father and your father would be glaring at each other at each other every Temple visit, making it super awkward for everyone attending," I added, "Your father would try to supervise us every time we were together when he could. If he couldn't, he would force it on your mother or sisters. We would be super uncomfortable. But it would totally worth it to share something special with a total hot smoking babe like you."

Bonnie smiled shyly. "Thanks Ronnie."

She tentatively moved her lips to mine. Her kiss was soft and gentle, like someone who never kissed before. I decided to take control, placing my hand on the back of her head and deepening the kiss.

What started as kissing while standing ended up as making out in her bed, after lifted her up by her legs. She was in my lap as we were on the bed making out.

"Please stay here tonight" she pleaded with me, as we took a break for air.

I explained to her why I couldn't. Kimberly had recently given me a communication device, which had a tracking device in it. She would be here with some large noisy aircraft, telling me at last second she was on the way. Her parents would be alerted that I was in the house when I wasn't supposed to be.

"But you didn't have one a while ago. How did she find out you were at my place so late?" she asked.

Fuck. What to tell her now?

"Ron, please tell me," she said, oddly concerned, "How does she know?"

"Kimberly has a tracking chip in me that she believes I don't know about." What harm could come from the truth?

I saw her eyes blaze with righteous fury and I had to place my hand over her mouth before she yelled. "You don't want to wake your parents, do you?"

She removed my hand. "I can't believe that bitch! She did that to you without your consent! Does she even know what that means to us Jewish?"

"She had good intentions," I said, getting a glare from her, "Plus, it didn't leave a mark."

"Don't defend her! What she did was completely wrong! Utterly disrespectful to you and your faith. She might as well have just spat on you and gave you a Star of David to wear every day at school!" Bonnie ranted. I understood her rage.

I explained to her that I had it removed a while ago, but carried on my person just so she wouldn't get suspicious if she found me elsewhere when the chip said I was where I wasn't. She calmed down a little after that. I attempted to leave after that, but she had grabbed my arm.

"You're staying here tonight, mister. Get comfortable and get under the sheets! I'm ready to go to sleep," she ordered, giving me a look that dared for me to oppose her. I decided not to push my luck. She might go another rant, not so quietly this time, and I didn't want to actually live that little story I just made up.

A few minutes later, I was under the sheets on my back. Bonnie was laying her head on my chest, in the fetal position facing me. My arm was wrapped around her head. She had quickly fallen asleep as I rubbed her head. I followed shortly afterward.

* * *

**(Middleton; Secret Facility)**

After last night, I decided to bring Bonnie into the fold. If she could pass one test first. We both stood in the training facility, Bonnie in a pink and black catsuit. like Shego's, with a black mask to cover her face and me in my battle suit. I had the prisoners locked behind opaque sliding doors, already armed with various melee weapons.

"Today, you will be defending me from numerous men attacking me. I will have my back turned and you are not allow one to come near me. Do whatever you must because you will be my sword and shield in battle. Cripple, maim, or even kill," I told her, she flinched at the killing part, "It starts now!"

I turned around and pulled up the video feed for the training room on my Omni tool. It wasn't that I didn't trust her to protect me, but I wanted to see her progress.

A wave of men were about to come through the first grate. When the door was opened, Bonnie grasped the first man. She threw him backward, knocking over many of the men behind him. Good, she was going to take any small advantage she could get.

The few who made it into the training room were easily dispatched, as Bonnie had disarmed one of them. She took the ax he was using, smacking her foes with flat edge. Most of them had freaked out when they saw the floating weapon, making them sitting ducks for her attacks. She was reluctant use deadly force now, but I wasn't surprised. We would work on that.

The first wave was too easy. I decided to let out two waves at the same time. Time to up the ante.

Seeing she couldn't perform the same trick twice, Bonnie closed one entrance as, causing one man to get smashed by the door. I'm sure some bones were broken in the process. She blocked the other entrance halfway with unconscious bodies. With a narrowed entrance, she was able to focus one group of men, defeating most of them before the others past the bodies or vaulted over them.

The men were now walking into a minefield now. Bonnie was surprising the fools by launching the discarded weapons from behind them, knocking them unconscious. One man got unlucky enough to be hit the jewels as he ran right over a baseball bat. I even flinched at that.

The few stragglers she was able to easily defeat with a combination of her martial arts and powers. She got augmented her attacking power with her telekinetic powers allowing her to down all the men in one hit. I saw noses, jaws, ribs, arms, and legs being broken. She was efficient, but brutal. Just like me. No need for fancy acrobatic moves.

She was barely tired after this, showing a massive improvement in her stamina. Time for the final test. A figure in full black body armor appeared, one of the Shades. She was going to face a real opponent.

"Don't let your guard down," I told her, "This one has the capability to kill you if you're not careful."

That was a lie. I would shut him down if he got that close.

The Shade rushed towards, easily dodging all the bodies and weapons thrown at it. She was able to dodge the first punch he tried. She retaliated with a punch aimed at his helmet, which he caught.

An explosion of purple caused the Shade to stumble backward. She did a reinforced roundhouse kick to its head, making it tumble to the ground. It recovered before Bonnie had drop-kicked its face, rolling out of the way.

The Shade punched her in the gut, sending her backpedaling a few feet. She was holding her stomach as the cybernetic soldier ran towards her. It had picked up a machete, doing an overhead swing.

Bonnie was dodging the attacks of the Shade, as it pushed her back to a wall. She had pulled a wooden bat to her location to defend herself from the bladed weaponry. I saw the bat was covered in the purple aura, and so was she. She let off another explosion of energy, knocking the Shade away and onto its back from the force of the explosion.

Bonnie rushed it, slamming the baseball bat into its head. I heard a sickening crunch from the attack. I turned around to watch Bonnie, now panting hard, drop the baseball bat.

As I walked towards her, she started to turn pale. "Did I kill him?"

I used my Omni tool to see how his status. He was still alive, unconscious with some skull fractures. Nothing that couldn't be healed. "No. He's just suffered a concussion."

She let out a breath of relief. I then noticed she had suffered a few light cuts from some nearly successful attacks. Her catsuit had some light blood streaks on it.

I had my robots clean the area while I took her to my personal quarters. She sat down on the bed I had. I took off my helmet before I healed her minor wounds with my ki. She seemed so happy anytime I did this for her.

"Did I pass your little test?" she asked.

"Of course," I answered, "I have something for you."

A robot carrying armor like mine, obviously of a more feminine build, entered my quarters. It dropped off the armor beside Bonnie before leaving. "This is for you."

"It's light," she said, as she picked up the armor, "I thought it would be heavier from the looks of it."

I explained to her that I handcrafted it. I used the same materials as mine, which made it very light and durable. I didn't skimp on cost as Wade did.

She was extremely pleased by this and gave me a quick kiss. "When do I finally go out for a mission?"

"Next week."

* * *

**(Unnamed Location)**

I woke up to the sight of Hisako scowling, all in my personal space.

"Why did you stop?" she asked, after I pushed her away.

"Stop what?"

"You know what! I'm talking about you and Bonnie! I don't understand why you are blue balling yourself."

I glared at Hisako with my nastiest stare, if it was anyone else, besides The Supreme One, they would have flinched. "Bonnie isn't some plaything for me."

"When did this change? I remember you clearly saying you were going to make her putty in your hands," Hisako said, "And to think I helped you with that goal all this time."

"What did you do to here?" I hissed at her. All-powerful spiritual being or not, I was willing to fight for whoever harmed those I cared for.

"Just been increasing her powers through you," she answered, "Anything she is feeling is natural. She is a teenage girl being swept off her feet by this powerful, influential, and mysterious man who was a total loser a to her just a while ago."

I calmed down. "How is she getting stronger through me?"

"I was channeling all the excessive ki you couldn't hold into her when you two interact. I can do it best when you two do something intimate," she explained, "That's why I got upset when you two stopped! I was about to pump as much power in her as I could. All she would have to work on is her control and precision."

"So that's why she has been advancing in her powers so quickly," I muttered to myself, "is that why she can easily learn Tai Shing Pek Kwar?"

Hisako nodded. "And here you were getting upset while I was helping you get an exceptionally powerful ally. So ungrateful, just like all mortals."

My eye twitched. I'm sure she loved to aggravate me. "And is there other anyway I can increase her power?"

"Yes," she answered. She told me of this process that would require both us to meditative together. I would have to unleash the ki that slowly building in her with my own. It was my ki in her, so when it gets touched by mine coming from my body, her power would see another great increase. Sounds easy, but why she was smirking at me the whole time?

"Bye Ronnie!" Hisako said mockingly, before knocking me into the black vortex that suddenly appeared behind.

* * *

**(Training Facility)**

The last few days have been nothing, but pain, sweat, blood, and tears. Ron had cranked up the training regime by three hundred percent. He was an unforgiving and harsh taskmaster.

Luckily, if I completed what was expected of me, he gave me basically whatever I asked for. I started asking for small things, like him using his powers to soothe my aches from training. Even though those shakes, elixirs he called them, took away most of the pain and soreness. The ones left were minor.

Next, I was asking to sit in his lap to fall asleep. With him rubbing my back. Which lead to me asking for massages, something he was surprisingly good at. I would only be in a bra and thong when he agreed. Teasing him the whole time.

That seemed to be the only thing I could do to get under his skin and make him lose that stoic expression of his. He always tried to control himself so he didn't do anything, but he failed every time. Being able to get a guy that stayed cool when he faced off against people trying to kill him on a regular basis to lose control over you did something to a girl.

Normally, it would end up us making out, but one time I teased him too much. I ended up with one destroyed bra and two sore nipples.

The way he could change from being to gentle with his soft caresses to some complete lustful savage always turned me on so much. Knowing I could have both spectrums of desire from him was fulfilling. But I should calm down with the teasing before I push him over the edge and make him take my first time. Not that I would mind, but he did say he wanted to make our first time special.

Maybe he would take me somewhere out of the country. I've always wanted to see the Niagara Falls.

"Bonnie," I heard Ronnie say to me, snapping me out of my daydreaming, "I have something I want to try."

Anything for you, Ronnie. "Okay."

He told me to get in a meditative stance. It was easy to do from all the previous experience.

"I want you to search for my power when I touch you," he said. His arms were on my shoulders. I could feel his soothing strength flow through me.

After a few minutes, he removed his hands and I let out a whimper of disappointment as his powers left. "Now concentrate on finding something similar within yourself."

Was he saying to find the source of my powers? I knew where that was located, but I strangely felt nothing there.

"I couldn't find anything. I thought my powers stemmed from a mutation in my cerebral cortex," I told him, disappointed with myself. I didn't want to mess up whatever he had planned.

He didn't seem bothered by my failure. "You're correct about your powers, but I'm not asking you to find yours, but mine."

Oh! That was easy. I placed my hand over my heart, feeling a minuscule amount of what I believed to be his powers. It had to be. It felt so similar, giving me that same soothing feeling whenever I thought of him when he wasn't around. "It's right here."

I looked up at him. His eyes were filled with disbelief. I felt kind of hurt that he didn't believe me. Why wouldn't he? I have been nothing but loyal to him.

He shook his head and sat down in front of me, getting in the same lotus style he taught me. He grabbed my hands. I interlocked my fingers with his.

"Relax, Bonnie. I'm going unleash that power within you," he said, "You'll be much stronger than before. You'll just need to work on your control from now on."

I closed my eyes. I felt the same rush of power flow through me, going towards my heart. When the two powers collided, my stiffened up. It felt like I had been hit through into a pile of snow with barely any clothes on.

A sudden heat spread across my body, replacing the cold. It wasn't painful, but invigorating. Just like my powers. But this made me feel so much stronger. I couldn't wait to test my new limits!

My eyes snapped open when I heard Ron let an animalistic howl, one filled with pain. He was now standing up, clutching his head. His nails had broken skin, making little streaks of blood flow down his head from his temples. He was walking backward, with his aura flaring wildly, right into the wall.

I got up, rushing towards. I was knocked down to the ground by a tendril of his power. I had hastily blocked with my arms and now I could barely move them. But I couldn't stay lying down. I had to get up and help Ron. He was in pain and it's my fault!

My legs wobbled as I slowly stood up. I had to get past those flailing tendrils of his. Maybe if I took an idea out of Ron's book.

I imagined myself surrounded in dark purple translucent armor, like the set Ron gave me a couple of days ago. I transformed the armor into a half-sphere barrier with an outward thrust of my arms.

I opened my eyes to see the barrier made a reality. I moved towards Ron now, one slow step at a time. My barrier held up, withstanding the attacks from the tendrils. But it was fracturing after each attack. It resembled a cracked egg by the time I made it to Ron.

Another attack made my barrier break, making an immense pain shoot through my head, I ignored it, throwing my arms around my Ronnie. His body stiffened up from the contact as I kissed him. His powers calmed down, luckily.

"I'm here for you, Ronnie," I said, after breaking the kiss, "You're Bon Bon is here."

His body relaxed somewhat and I felt some his weight shift onto me. He shivered and let out a low whimpering noise, sounding similar to a sob. "Make the pain stop. I'll do anything."

What happened to you, baby? What caused you so much pain? Did I somehow make you relive some of your terrible memories?

"He needs you. Keep my master safe," I heard a feminine voice whisper to me. I knew no one else was in the room, or even the facility. I didn't worry about it. I felt Ron go completely slack, all his weight on me now. He had fallen unconscious.

Good thing I had telekinesis or else I would have fallen. Ronnie might be slim, but he wasn't light. All of him was muscle. Which means he was probably about fifty pounds heavier than me.

Using my newfound power, I lifted Ronnie off me. I left the facility with him in tow, heading home. I might have taken a wrong turn, here and there.

* * *

**(Rockwaller Residence)**

After successfully sneaking Ron's unconscious body into the house, I placed him in my bed. I didn't feel comfortable leaving him underground, even though he had all those robots to take care of him. He did say I was his sword and shield. How could I be that if I left him alone underground?

Ron was burning up, so I had removed his armor. Something that took longer than I liked to admit to figure out how to get off. I also took off what little clothing he underneath that, besides his boxers. No matter how much I wanted to. I had covered in a thin sheet up to his chest for modesty. I had gathered some wash clothes and placed them in my room.

Once I heard my sisters leave for whatever foolishness they planned to get in, I headed downstairs to the kitchen to retrieve some ice. My mother and father were there, also about to leave.

I stayed calmed as they asked me about how my day was and what I did. I told them I had spent some studying with Ron. I had to have minimum amount of truth in my lie to get past my father.

Speaking of him, he told me had noticed I was spending much more time with Ronnie since a few weeks ago. He wanted to know if I needed to tell him anything of importance. My mom saved me from his interrogation stare down he was about to have with me, chastising him for thinking sweet old Ronald, son of his childhood friends, would do anything to his precious princess. Her words, not mine.

My father grumbled, leaving the subject alone and told my mom to hurry up as he left to go outside to the car. I gave her a quick hug and she said she liked Ron much more than any of my previous boyfriends. I corrected her, saying we weren't dating. I think we weren't, but hope we would.

She smiled and pinched my blushing cheeks, saying it was only time until it happened. She then left to join my father.

I was putting ice in a cup when I heard my mother yell for me. I went to the front door to find her. She said my two friends, Tara, and Hope, had arrived and she had sent them upstairs, to wait for me.

I bolted upstairs, not saying another word to my mother. I couldn't let them see Ron in such a vulnerable state! Plus, they would be asking all types of questions, as if they didn't ask enough of them every day!

When I walked in, Hope was holding Ron's armor, staring at it inquisitively. Tara was on her knees by my bed, staring at Ron with a distressed expression. I snatched the armor out of Hope's hand, which she yelled at me about, and moved towards my bed.

"What's wrong with him? What happened? Is he going to be okay?" The barrage of questions Tara asked me made feel a sudden twinge of guilt. Had I been so preoccupied with Ron that I had forgotten about her feelings for him?

"I'm not exactly sure," I answered. Tara demanded to know what happened. I explained the events that led up to Ron's unconscious state. Leaving out the part where he asked for help. That was none of their business! And I couldn't let Ron look weak in front of them.

Tara didn't know what to say afterward, instead focusing on how I was making sure Ron was comfortable and cared for. Hope had been oddly silent.

"Bonnie, can I have a word with you downstairs?" Hope asked, more like demanded with that tone of voice she had. I looked at her and then Ron. He still needed to be care for!

"I'm sure Tara can watch over him," she said. Tara gave me a reassuring smile and told me she had much more experience helping people with fevers. I told her to get me if he woke up.

Hope and I went to the den. "What's going on between you and Ron?"

I cocked my head in confusion. I told that it was the same old same old. He was the teacher and I was his student. Simple as that.

Hope said that was a load of bull shit. She said I was spending less time with her and Tara for practice. She used air quotes for practice. I had even taken to skipping cheerleading practice for it. It was consuming all my free time, according to her.

I tried to deny this, but she never let me get a word in. She was starting to piss me off with these accusations.

"And what about that hickey you had a few days ago? The one you wore proudly around the school?" she asked, "I bet he gave it to you!"

"No!"

"Stop lying girl! I've seen how you stare at him dreamily. Blushing when he catches you! And all you talk about is him or what he has been teaching you."

She was starting to make me sound like Kimberly. Starstruck when the newest hottie came to our school. I was not some bewitched typical teenage girl that lost focus when a new hot guy came around, like her!

Hope told me how Tara has come close to crying because it's so obvious to them that Ron and I have something going on in secret. Tara thought I had gone behind her back and stole the guy she liked! I wasn't that type of friend!

"But we haven't done anything!" I yelled.

Hope wasn't convinced. She told me to go upstairs right now, look Tara in the eyes and tell her the same thing. I was frozen to the spot I stood in.

"That's what I thought," she said, pulling out her phone, "I'm calling Kim. You're not yourself anymore. He has some weird influence over you. Kim can handle Ron and his freakishness. We need to get you checked out."

Within a fraction a second, I had used telekinesis to snatch the phone out of her hand. I didn't bring it to me, instead, I had crushed it into a small ball. I let it fall to the ground.

Next, I did something I thought I would never do. I used my powers on my friend. I had pulled her towards me before slowing moving her upwards in the air.

"I think you won't be doing that," I said, in a voice filled with such malice I thought I could never muster. I sounded so… sinister. "Don't you ever speak of Ronald like that in my presence again."

I let go of Hope when I turned around to head upstairs. I heard her let out a yelp of pain, but I didn't care. No one threatened my Ronnie. Not even my friends.


	14. Chapter 14

**(Rockwaller Residence)**

When I got home from Temple, I immediately ran upstairs, ignoring my mother and sisters. They didn't really try to stop me, so I knew they hadn't tried to get into my room. That would be a disaster.

When I got in front of my door, I found it still locked. Never know if Dad tried to get in too. I then concentrated, imagining a picture of the side of the doorknob that was in my room. After a second, I turned the doorknob and found it unlocked. All that practice with Tara last night helped.

I did my best to banish the frightened look of Hope out of my mind. She was fine, but Ron might not be. I found him still in my bed. Unconscious and unresponsive to my touch. I had hoped it would have woken up by now, but since he never came to school or contacted me, I knew he wasn't going to be up.

I heard a strange beeping and I looked for the source of the sound. I saw Ron's super-advanced watch thing letting off a white light. I picked up his wrist, looking at the watch. The light was actually a button on the side of the watch.

When I pressed it, an image of a middle-aged man's head appeared in the air. He had black hair, with a grey streak running down the middle. His eyebrows were also gray. He must dye his hair, but I don't understand why he didn't dye all of it. Maybe the streak looked cool or something to him? I mean it was different, I guess.

"Bonnie Rockwaller, I suppose?" he asked me, only looking a little surprised to see me. I nodded. "My name is Jack Hench. I am the owner of the Hench Co. My company supplies all the henchmen, devices, and lairs for all supervillains use."

"I've been trying to reach Ronald since last night since he didn't do his nightly review of the operations log and he wasn't off on some mission or other activity he informed of. I was wondering about his condition, but I can clearly see he's incapacitated. Could you inform me of how this happened?"

"Hold up buster. How do you know my name and why should I tell you anything?" I asked. I wasn't going to trust some random old creep.

"Miss Rockwaller, Ronald told me about you. All I know is Ron has taken you under his wing for whatever reason. Ronald came to me to help him with his goals, so I supply him with the necessary materials for those goals," He told me, "For one, he is extremely intelligent, making devices some of the top eggheads of today can't create. He shares these inventions with me, which I use to sell for profits."

"And what else does Ron do?"

"Not my place to tell. Now, could you please tell me what happened? I might be able to help the young man's recovery."

That won me over. This guy is a business partner of Ron's. And from what I've seen from the interactions of my father and his partners, I knew they get concerned and try to help when the cash flow slows down for some unknown reason.

I told him a heavily edited version of the other day. I didn't want Ron to seem weak in front of this guy. My dad made always hid any pain or sickness from his business partners, so they couldn't take advantage of him. The man rubbed his chin in deep thought.

"This not good. I'm sending out Android Beta, even though his programming isn't complete yet," Jack told me, "It should be there in about fifteen minutes. He'll also give you your own Omni tool, the watch on Ronald's wrist. He had one made for specifically for you."

His image disappeared before I got the chance to ask any more questions. And what was Android Beta? What was an Android?

I got on my computer for the time being while I waited. I looked at what an Android was first, seeing it was a robot. I looked up Jack Hench, verifying what he told me about himself. I wonder how he wasn't locked up yet. He did sell devices of mass destruction to crazy people. Must have a crack team of lawyers.

There was a knock at my door around the fifteen-minute mark. "Your new loser boyfriend is downstairs!"

That was Lonnie. Ron wasn't a loser and how could he be downstairs, when he was in my bed asleep? I left my room and went downstairs with my annoying sister, who was blabbing about how Ron was a step-down. I almost smacked her, but I kept my cool.

Lonnie then told me she was joking and wondered why I didn't even try to deny Ron being my boyfriend. I told her she wouldn't believe me anyway, so I didn't try. She asked me if we were just friends then. I nodded, as I felt some sort of unease as we got closer to the bottom of the steps. Who was masquerading around as Ron and why?

Standing by the door was a carbon copy of Ron. I kept myself from looking shocked and told the copy to come upstairs to my room. I told my family Ron and I was going to work on some homework.

As I and the imposter walked upstairs, I kept glancing at him for anything out of place. His appearance was perfect, nothing was different. But he kept on smiling that goofy smile. Normally, Ron would drop the act by now. Going to his neutral expression or the stoic one.

Once we got in my room, I used my powers to quickly close the door, lock it, and hold this fake in place. He wasn't going to escape from me and he was going to answer my questions. And then I would knock him out and restrain him.

"You got five seconds to tell me who you are before you find yourself blacked out by asphyxia," I whispered as I sneered, "Start talking!"

"I am Android Beta," the imposter told me, as I allowed his lips to move, "Did Jack Hench not tell you I was arriving?"

"You did come right at fifteen minutes, but tell me why you look just like Ron?" I asked, not so nice. I still had to be thorough, who knows what this possible guy or machine to be up to.

"Mistress Bonnie, I mean you no harm. I was created to be a replication of Creator Ronald, for when he has to leave Middleton days at a time, Kimberly Possible will not be alarmed to him missing," it answered, "With Creator being unconscious for an unknown amount of time, I was turned on to take his place until he woke up."

I let go of Android Beta mentally, keeping a wary eye on the robot. The machine walked over to Ron. I was about to grab ahold of it when it produced an orange beam that went over my Ronnie's body. I had stopped myself because it was the same beam Ron had used on me.

Android Beta told me Ron was in a coma of a sort. A coma! Who knew how long he was going to be like that. Beta then found Kim's demeaning tracking chip and placed it on the back of his neck.

It pulled a golden watch with pink leather straps. He told me this was my Omni tool. Ronnie definitely knew my taste. I grabbed it telekinetically and put in on. Perfect fit.

The robot gave me a brief tutorial on how it worked, making sure I could contact it or Jack if needed. It then asked me did I want it to walk with me in the mornings. I declined, I didn't want a constant reminder of Ron's state. I was worried enough already.

I told Beta to stay out of my sight while I finished the little homework I had. I couldn't let him leave immediately because my family would get suspicious. If only the damn machine could leave the same way Ron would.

* * *

**(Middleton High: Next Morning)**

I was surprised, and happy, when I saw Kim and Ron speaking to each other this morning without Kim looking a guilty puppy and Ron not having his now-signature annoyed expression. Kim was going about Josh and the last date the two had, while Ron had a small smile on his face. Nodding every few seconds. I couldn't tell if he was actually listening or just appearing to.

But I could tell Ron was forcing his friendliness. He would move really stiff sometimes when he interacted with Kim. Almost if it was painful. Like now, when Kim gave him a hug and he hesitantly hugged back.

When the redhead left to go to meet up with Josh before class, I immediately questioned him about his behavior before he could go to his own class. I couldn't give him any time to make up some lie. But his facial expression showed me he was genuinely confused. He then asked me a thorough list of questions about what he did wrong. I looked up at the clock and saw we only had a few minutes before class started.

I refused to answer all of his questions while we walked to class. One because he weirded me out. Which was hard for him to do. Second and most importantly, I didn't want him to be faking around Kim. I rather have the two settle their differences and move forward. They had been best friends since preschool and I was going to keep that friendship alive. Especially since the two were obviously not going to be dating anytime soon.

Kim had pretty boy Josh and Ron had Queen Bee Bonnie, of all people. The Queen Bee and The Joker of Middleton High were having a secret relationship. I didn't have concrete proof yet, but I just knew the two had something going on. I have seen the way those two interact.

Bonnie didn't insult Ron anymore, calling the blonde by his first name. Like when we bumped into her right before we got to the class everyone seemed to share. Everyone else thought this was due to Ron beating up or belittling anyone that tried to mess with him now. A lot of the students were now afraid of him. He wasn't that pushover string bean I first met when I came to this school. He's got fighting skills now and the muscles to back them up.

Bonnie respected him and his intimidating presence now. If I wasn't already his friend, I would be scared to talk to him. Always glaring at people with cold eyes that sent a shiver down your spines if you look too long in them. His hands always clenching and body looking tense, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Like he was expecting someone to attack him. All of Middleton High wasn't D hall, Ron!

But there were people that calmed him down. Like me, because I am such a great friend. Only haters tensed in my presence. Bonnie did too, for obvious reasons. Tara because she was all bursts of sunshine and rainbows. You must be a pure evil being whose weakness was niceness to be uncomfortable around the blonde bombshell. And of course Kim, to a somewhat lesser degree.

But back to the evidence about Ron and Bon! Others haven't noticed the affectionate tone Bonnie tried to hide whenever she said his name. I would also catch her staring at the blonde, cheeks blushing, and eyes glazed like she was daydreaming. This never lasted for more than a few seconds, so it was a rare sight to see. I wished I had a camera on me right now, because there she was, practically drooling over him in our class.

Lucky for her, she sat in the back corner of the class, with Tara in front of her and Hope to the left side. Effectively blocking her from most other students' views. But not me! Hope glared at me as I caught her best friend in la-la land. Hope made a small paper ball and threw at Bonnie to knock the brunette out her gaze. I laughed a little as the two started to talk in angry hushed tones.

Mr. Barkin scolded the two cheerleaders and gave them the threats of detention. They both quickly shut their mouths. I let out a nearly silent snicker, receiving glares from the two.

And the last thing was the morning coffee and meetups in the library! I had been held up by my parents today, so I couldn't get my spy on. This is where Bonnie and Ron would joke and flirt freely, away from the eyes of the general student body. I'm sure Ron knew I was spying on them in there. His eyes would always find my body in the library, no matter how many times I changed my location, and then smirk before walking over to Bonnie. Guess he knew I wouldn't say anything to anyone else because I was his friend.

A folded note was placed on my desk. I looked over to Hope, who as still glaring at me. She pointed at the paper, obviously wanting me to read it. I opened it up and to see what it said.

Inside, Hope had offered me a deal. One where I would dispel all the rumors about Ron and Bonnie possibly dating. In return, Hope would give me all the hidden secrets of most of the people at the top of the food chain, besides Tara, Bonnie, and herself. Not surprised at that restriction.

I sent a note back asking why. Her note contained a was a very rude take or leave it. I was a little bit disappointed I didn't even get a chance to haggle with her about the deal. I loved haggling! My title as Gossip Queen demanded I accept it. It was a pretty good deal. I handed her my acceptance, with her writing back her phone number to be contacted. Couldn't wait to get those juicy juicy secrets!

* * *

**(Middleton High: Same Day)**

Today was not going well so far. This morning only Tara picked up before I left the house to pick her up. Hope kept sending me to voice mail. She was really upset with me.

When I picked up Tara, she gave me a meek good morning. Then she stayed silent for the whole drive to school. I tried prodding her to talk, barely getting any response from her. I eventually stopped trying.

Once we got to school, I found Hope at her locker and attempted to talk to the girl. But she gave me the cold shoulder, walking away before I could get one word out. She didn't even speak to Tara! The only good thing was the compliments I received on my Omni tool.

The rest of the day was the same, even at lunch. Our table was filled with tense silence, none of the lesser popular girls willing to say anything unless Tara, Hope, or I talked first. Tara barely ate her lunch and Hope quickly finished hers to just cross her arms to stare her empty tray.

Now I was at cheerleading practice with a snarky Kim. It was a complete disaster. I was a little out of practice and totally out of sync with Tara and Hope. Because of this funk between us. Kim was frustrated with us because our synchronicity was a big part of the new cheerleading routines. She was now yelling at us to get over whatever was holding us back. Hope and I told her to shut up and stay out of our business. Hope shocked our captain by talking back to her, not me. But still, both had to do extra exercises after that.

With the less of Ron, she had planned a bunch of new over the top routines focusing on us three. She wanted us to have a much bigger role to keep the attention of the crowd. And I was given what I guess what was a promotion, being the leader of this trio. Not that I really cared anymore.

Practice was now over, and I headed to the shower room to get out of here. Cheerleading didn't have the same appeal anymore. Kim asked me, with a bit of a snarky tone, if I was going to attend the next session while I was available. I shrugged, maybe. Maybe not.

She then asked me if everything was okay, saying as her team captain, I could come to talk to her why I was missing practice. She said even though we had our differences, I was a great cheerleader and a big contribution. Did she think I was quitting or something?

I told her everything was all right, nothing for her to worry about. The look in her eyes told me she didn't believe me. Not my problem, as long she didn't try to snoop at me. I gathered my stuff and got ready to leave.

As I waited by my car for Tara, Hope walked up to me. Now it seemed she wanted to talk to me. She started to demand answers about why I was here. She thought Ron would make me come to practice since he was apparently up. She had a sneer on her face and a malicious tone when she said his name. That wouldn't do.

I narrowed my eyes and told her to watch her tone. She took a step back, giving a weak apology, not really meaning it. I glared at her and she glared back. Tara then walked up to us and frowned. She told us to stop being stupid, saying the three of us had been friends since middle school and one guy shouldn't break us up.

Hope went on about how she wasn't concerned about Ron. She was just surprised I showed up to practice and not spend time with Ron. Tara told Hope to shut up and stop making the situation worse and more awkward. She said she too wanted to know when Ron got better, but this wasn't the place. My house, more specifically my room, was better. Hope seemed reluctant to come but agreed to talk there.

I used my Omni tool to send a voice message to tell Beta to meet me at my house. I received an instant affirmation. Hope and Tara asked me about my Omni tool, noticing the gold and pink device for the first time. I told them it was an invention of Ron's and had made this one specifically for me. I knew I had big grin on my face, I couldn't help it. But I quickly wiped it off my face when I saw the sad look on Tara's face. Hope's disgruntled one didn't bother me though.

I told the two to get in the car, so we could get back to my house. Hope made a snarky comment about how Ron didn't upgrade my car somehow. I replied that I was probably going to get one soon. Tara told us both to shut up and do this crap when she wasn't around. The rest of the drive was silent.

When we arrived, Beta was already there, patiently waiting at the front door. He didn't just pick the lock like Ron would probably do. He greeted me as Mistress Bonnie again since the general public wasn't around. He told me that Tara and Hope were low ranking VIPs for him.

I saw the confused looks on my friends' faces, but I didn't give them to chance to ask questions. I headed inside and walked upstairs, with all of them in tow. Once we all were in my room, Hope asked what the fuck Beta was, seeing Ron was still in my bed.

The android explained to them what it was. Hope shook her head, saying things just got stranger each day with Ron. Tara was impressed and excited, wanting to see more of Ron's invention.

With their curiosity sated, for the time being, Hope lost some of her coldness towards me, not all of it. Tara wasn't as silent anymore. I still needed to apologize to both of them for my recent behavior. I was out of line.

Hope needed some time before she would even listen to an apology. She was only looking out for me, thinking I was getting too deep in something too dangerous.

Tara, on the other hand, was much more difficult. I either find someone just like old innocent Ron or let her have new Ron. I doubt I could find a suitable replacement because Ron was too unique. Both versions of him. And I wasn't willing to give my Ronnie away. Maybe I could share? But would she even accept that?

I stopped thinking about that. I took another glance at Ron. Hopefully, he would wake up soon. I hated seeing him so vulnerable. So weak. This wasn't the Ron I got to know.

* * *

**(Mindscape)**

I saw the familiar all blue distant areas of my mind. But now there were purple lines that zigzagged through it. Like lightning streaks against the night sky.

"Finally awake, huh Ronald?" I heard Hisako's voice from above me. She was lounging in midair. Her voice wasn't filled with the normal smugness, but instead concern.

I found myself in a purple bed, similar to Bonnie's. "What happened?"

"I tried to get you to face some old memories that you had buried in the deepest recesses of your mind, but you weren't ready," she answered, frown on her face and eyes filled with guilt, "I'm sorry."

I asked what the memories were about, but she refused to answer. She said that she wouldn't speak of it since they caused me to be knocked out for about two days now.

What! I told her I needed to leave immediately. My plans could have been set back or even worse, stopped by some unforeseen event. Looking at the track record of all the villains, it was highly likely that this could happen to me too. With all the government agencies like Global Justice still up and running, I had to be careful and takes painfully slow. One misstep could ruin everything. And I rather it be my own fault I failed, not me being inactive.

Hisako told me not to worry. Apparently, Bonnie and Jack had everything covered. Mostly Jack though. I felt a little relieved by this. But how did she know this? I asked.

She told me that she had a limited field of vision around my body, even when I was unconscious. Jack had met Bonnie when the brunette turned on the video calling system on my Omni Tool. With me inoperable, Jack had awakened Android Beta to take my place at school while I recovered. I will never regret my decision to what I did to Jack, he was far too useful to dispose of.

Hisako then went on telling me how Bonnie was ready to tear apart Android Beta. Just to defend me because she thought it was an imposter trying to hurt me or something. She was very happy about this, being annoyingly cheery about it. But I was happy too. And proud. She had taken her what I said about her being my shield and sword seriously.

Still in that annoying cheerful mood, Hisako said another good thing happened. She said I should have noticed just by the differences here. The emergence of all the purple in here was somehow a sign I was connecting to Bonnie spiritually and it was going to unlock more powers for both us.

Spiritual connection! There was only one person that I should have that with, my wife. Who I prefer to be the Supreme One. Not that Bonnie was a bad second choice. I didn't have terrible taste in women, I preferred women of class and power, thank you very much.

Hisako was laughing at me now. The spirit child explained to me that Bonnie's soul and mine weren't going to become one. I just misunderstood her explanation. Bonnie and I were just drawing strength from one another. But Hisako would love for that to happen.

When will this blasted spirit ever stop trying to play matchmaker? She always trying to push me to someone that isn't Kimberly or the Supreme One. Kimberly was a childhood crush I had outgrown near the end of school. The Supreme one was a radiant woman, almost a goddess among these simple women on Earth.

"You don't love her, Ron! You worship her."

I glared at Hisako, snarling at her. "I knew who I fucking love! And there was only one being I worship, and it's a man! I'm not some damn heretic!"

The Lotus Blade was unfazed by my uncharacteristic outburst. "The way you talk about her, make you sound like a fervent worshipper, not a lover."

She seemed like she wanted to say more, but I didn't want to hear more of this subject. It always made me extremely aggravated, for some reason. I decided to change the subject to how my connection to Bonnie will let me get stronger.

Hisako said it was allowing me to get closer to unlocking my second chakra. I would gain a new set of powers to allow the second chakra. Which Hisako didn't know what it was going to be, since it varied from user to user. I was still excited. Something new to master.

"What did you learn about the second chakra?" Hisako asked me.

All I knew it was located below the navel, right at the center of my lower belly. The element it was associated with was water, representing flexibility. I had gotten sidetracked with Bonnie, stopping my research.

Hisako clapped a few times in approval. "Correct, but that's not everything. It's the center of your feelings. It's what makes you seek out enjoyment in life. Especially concerning your sexuality and sexual desires."

She gave me a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows. "No woman. I'm not going to exploit Bonnie like that."

"She would enjoy it though. And you know she wants it. It's a win-win situation for you."

"I'm still not doing it."

Hisako landed on the bed beside me, staring at me. "Is it because you actually care about her? That you would feel terrible about taking her virginity and possibly making her fall in love with you while she has this distorted image of you?"

I turned away from her. "Yes."

"The Sacral Chakra also deals with relationship and relating with others, forming an identity through those relationships," she told me, "After your friendship with Kim was shattered, you only had Shego to please. Everyone else was trying to please you or her."

"Now you're in the past without her. Even though you have a goal with her in mind, you still desire something like your few relationships you used to have, one which could barely be counted. Bonnie, who you have a great familiarity with, has literally plopped down in your lap, with even more use than her other version. You hold all the power over her, but you don't abuse it. You know what that means?"

I knew what she was getting at. "I'm only confusing her with my memories of the other Bonnie, a sexual partner and nothing more."

"Who you did care about and was friends with. Why are you denying that?"

"Doesn't matter."

Hisako huffed in annoyance. "Ronald, stop being so damn difficult! You need a genuine relationship."

I closed my eyes. I didn't want Bonnie to distract me from the Supreme One. "And what about all the lying I'm doing to her?"

"Tell her the truth. Not all of it, but a good portion."

"It's either all or nothing. I would still feel like I would be manipulating her."

"Ronald, you need this! So unless you're going to jump on the Tara Train, you'll never heal."

Heal? The hell was she going about not? I was perfectly fine! I looked at the spirit. Her hand over her mouth told me she didn't mean to let that last part slip. I had caught her.

"It's time for you to leave," she said, before I could question her. The familiar black vortex appeared behind me, now with purple streaks of energy. How convenient it appeared when she had made a slip of the tongue.

"You lied to me, Hisako. You control when I enter and leave. You've been manipulating me all this time!" I growled, "And to think I was beginning to trust you."

Hisako shook her head. "No Ronald. I've been trying to show you the path to a greater you. You are no longer bound by Shego's strings and I intend to make sure you never end in her grasp ever again!"

"The Supreme One never controlled me! You know nothing of what you speak of. All you have done is scheme to ruin my plan of bringing her back. She is the head of the Regime, the true leader! She created the only human empire to take over all of humanity. I cannot stop the Lowardians with her."

Hisako looked at me in pity. If only I could smack some sense into her! "You can Ron. You don't need her. Just believe in yourself."

"I know my own limits, unlike you."

"There's so much you refuse to acknowledge. It's holding you back from your true potential. And it's why you are in this coma-like state. The memories I tried to make you face are still too painful. I shouldn't have been so hasty."

She lifted her hand towards me, pushing me towards the vortex. "Go back to the embrace of someone who cares. These memories shall ease your mind."

As I was thrown into the vortex, I heard her muttering something about contacting Bonnie. I had to stop this damn meddling woman. As soon as I got out of this void.

* * *

**(Monday Night: Middleton Hotel Room)**

"So this is America?" A dark-haired Asian teenage male said, "What do you think, Yori?"

"The people here are very rude. They need lessons in manners from our cafeteria lady," I answered.

Hirotaka let out a laugh. "I'll love to see the sight of that!"

"I don't think any of them could handle her, not even the Kim Possible," I said, giggling afterward, "Enough of that. Tell me what you found today."

Hirotaka frowned. "My scouting has been a failure with finding the target."

"Not a failure, Hirotaka. You still found three leads, which is good," I reassured him. He was so used to completing everything perfectly. Our first mission in another country and he gets all angst-filled when he is unable to complete in less than a week.

I pulled out the sketch that Master Sensei had given us, one he had made himself. It was a painting of a tall blonde man in his late 20's, about 6 feet tall. His hair was a well-maintained comb-over. His face was sharp and angular, freckles around his nose and under his eyes. His eyes were a chocolate brown, with thin eyebrows. He had a small scar over the right side of his lip.

His upper body was lean and muscular, noticeable even through his black military dress uniform, filled to the brim with medals. The insignia on the uniform belonged to some unknown organization, which strange for us since we knew about everyone! He was overall a handsome man. A very handsome one at that.

I had to fight down the blush I knew was coming. I didn't need more teasing from Hirotaka.

I pulled out three separate folders from my bag and placed them on the common room table. Each one had a picture of a blonde person on them, all having qualities of our target.

The first was obviously our target's father. The man was shorter and had a stockier build. The second was the first's wife and mother of the target. She was of a slender build and was were our target got his head shape and eye color from.

The third, the son of the first and second, was our target's little brother. He was a copy of the man, just shorter, less muscular, and still had the baby fat on his face. In a few years and with the right exercise regimen, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two.

We were going to investigate the family's house, but we found surveillance devices covering the house. Deciding not to tip off whoever was watching the Stoppable family, we left the house alone. We then tried the school, forgoing the Possible household because we knew the so-called world-saving heroine was being heavily watched by the U.S. government.

But we still couldn't even get inside! That place was being watched heavily too. Being stealthy in Middleton was hard, since everything that interested us was being watched by three different groups. Talk about overkill.

The first group was Wade Load, he had the lowest quality of the trio, but not by much compared to the second group. Especially considering he made them out scrap materials. It was just a further testament to his super genius-level intellect. His camera's watched Kim's, the Stoppable's household. And his own house, of course.

The second group was Global Justice. They watched the same houses as Wade, but also Middleton High. Probably to watch Kim's daily life and figure out to recruit her later when she turns eighteen.

An unknown party used the last group. This set watched everything the others did and more. Ones I couldn't fathom at first, like Tara Strong, Hope Graham, and Bonnie Rockwaller. But I found out soon enough.

Ron Stoppable, sidekick and best friend of Kim Possible, spent much time with Bonnie Rockwaller. And by extension, Tara and Hope too. More Tara than Hope because she had a strange distrust of the silly blonde boy.

From what we had gathered and heard, Bonnie was a mean spirited girl that was at the top of some senseless popularity hierarchy that had been constructed by her older sisters. She enjoyed making everyone under her miserable. Strange she was friends with someone who was considered to be beneath the bottom of the hierarchy, somehow.

"Yori, we are at a dead-end," Hirotaka spoke up, "Unless we go break in the Stoppables' household, we aren't going anywhere."

"No, we need to find the signal of the devices and have a video loop sent to the feed before we enter and leave. It's too risky to just barge in," I explained. Hirotaka was always a little hasty, while Master Sensei said I was too reactive and not proactive enough. Our esteemed teacher hoped we both learned from each other's methods.

"We're going to be stuck in this country forever," Hirotaka whined, "I can't even enjoy the sights here."

I rolled my eyes. I knew the sights he wanted to enjoy. He could be such a pig sometimes. "Just get on your motorcycle and drive out in the countryside. The beauty of nature is an amazing sight; you know?"

"You know what I mean and the nature scenery is more up your alley."

The two of us discussed what was our next move. We both decided tomorrow we would enroll in Middleton High to get closer to Ronald Stoppable. We would integrate ourselves into his life and circle of friends. He would be the key to finding our target.


	15. Chapter 15

**(Tuesday Morning: Barkin's Class)**

I inspected every student that came into one of the many classes I was substituting for today. None of them had to be corrected about their clothing. This time. And they weren't all being obnoxiously loud today. Good. Made things easier for me.

Once all my students got in their seats, I told them about the special event today. Two exchange students from Japan were going to be here for the rest of the year. And judging by the looks and behaviors of the two, they were going to be extremely popular and coveted by both genders. Ugh. Stupid teens and their popularity social constructs.

I announced the news to the classroom, halting all questions by saying the exchange students will answer the class's questions. But the class had a maximum of three questions to share among them. The class would make three groups, with each being comprised of eight students. I had exactly twenty-four students since Ron Rieger had been sick for the last couple of days. I said they had five minutes to create their groups and figure out what questions will be asked.

I watched the students swarm to their friends and cliques. One stood out the most to me.

Kim Possible had predictably gathered her boyfriend, Josh Mankey, and Monique to her side. And then had both them follow her to Ron Stoppable, her childhood friend. But he had others who had flocked to him before she did.

Bonnie Rockwaller, of all people, led the other group, which comprised of her two friends Hope and Tara. Brunette and Redhead rivals meet on opposite ends of Ronald, glaring at each other. The two apex cheerleaders looked ready to throw down and I hoped they kept their hands to themselves. Insults and barbs were perfectly acceptable, to a certain degree. Hope and Monique had begun chatting, while Tara and Josh were behind the leader of the group they belong to.

Ron just sat there in the middle, like some unaware innocent lamb. But I knew he had planned this somehow. He was a sneaky little simpleton, somehow always causing mayhem on those missions with Kim. I had to keep my eye on him at all times unless I wanted the school to somehow become a set of ruins.

The last person to join Ron's group was Justine Flanner. Which the boy was pleased by, for whatever reason. She received a kind greeting from Ron and Tara, but a neutral one from everyone else, for a multitude of reasons. Monique and Hope were barely paying attention, Pretty Boy Josh was being quiet, and Bonnie and Kim were both too aggressive at the moment to give a friendly hello.

I checked my watch; the pair of exchange students were set to arrive in the next two minutes. I quieted the class and their incessant talking by my favorite method, slamming my hands down on the table while I shouted at them like they were fresh recruits. Their stunned pale faces never got old!

When the two entered, most of the guys were already panting like water-deprived dogs over the female and the girls were dreamily sighing at the sight of the male. This was ridiculous! I don't ever remember my classmates being like this. But then again, I didn't get the chance to have exotic exchange students.

After two students, Yori and Hirotaka, introduced themselves, I let the questioning begin. The first group had asked the country they came from, which was Japan. The second group had asked what part of Japan they originated from, which was the city of Tokyo. Judging from the glares the speaker had received, he had not actually asked the question his group agreed on.

Ron was the speaker of the group he was in. he asked how long Yori and Hirotaka was staying and who was their host family.

I blinked and so did many others, besides everyone in Ron's group. That was an unusual question.

The two foreigners answered the first question, saying they were staying at least a few months, maybe the rest of the school year. They asked their own question, wondering why the blonde asked the first question.

He told them that his parents had a bad habit of telling him about important changes until the last moment. Bonnie and Kim scoffed, both saying that bad habit was an understatement. They two alpha females told one another to stop copying each other. I told them to shut up because this could go on forever, allowing Ron to finish his explanation.

Ron wanted to make sure he wasn't the host because his house wasn't what his neat-freak mother would deem as presentable. No need to get nagged, he says.

After they had confirmed that they were starting with a family friend that lived in the states, I told the class there would be no more questions. Two exchange students headed Ron's way, formally greeting themselves to everyone there. And the other groups had looked on jealously, but not surprised. Probably thought Yori and Hirotaka went there because of Kim Possible. Which might be very well true.

Hirotaka had gained the attention of Monique and Hope. At least those two's brains hadn't been turned into mush like all the other females. The two just had a small crush on the boy.

Bonnie and Kim were already trying to recruit Yori into one of their groups. To one-up each other in the food chain. Kim, with her position as cheer captain and more importantly, world savior, didn't have to put much work in keeping her throne. She might not say she cared about her popularity, but then again, she never had to put work into gaining it. All her other accolades caused her to be popular.

Bonnie, on the other hand, was obsessed with her popularity. Even though she had the _prestige_ of being the younger sister of Lonnie and Connie, she still had to fight her way to second place, trampling over many unfortunate victims. When that girl Amelia left, it left a power vacuum that Bonnie and Kim filled. Kim got the throne while Bonnie got second place. And the brunette never got over that.

The food chain Lonnie and Connie had made while they were at Middleton High reminded me too much of politics. With all the blackmailing, strong-arming, and backstabbing. Good thing it was mostly harmless because it made for good entertainment. The other teachers and faculty members exchanged what the students had done for good laughs in the faculty room. I had kept a very detailed notebook with all this information to create my own political drama TV show. That was what was going to allow me to retire.

I looked back at the group of teens while I taught. Yori and Hirotaka had taken an interest in Ronald, for whatever reason. Both had sat beside the boy. Yori's back would be on fire right now if the intensity of Tara's and Bonnie's glares could burn objects.

I still wondered where these two students came from. Normally, we would have been told about something like this month ago. The pair had literally popped into my office with the principal, who gave a brief explanation of them being here. Something wasn't right, but I knew not to stick my nose in it.

It was just another spectacular day in the strange school at Middleton High.

* * *

**(Tuesday Afternoon: Middleton High Gym)**

The Middleton Cheer Squad had just finished practice and after practice hygiene. The squad was now listening to Kim's after-action debrief. About things the team as a whole could improve and what each individual cheerleader could also improve. Bonnie would normally be all snarky and constantly interrupting our captain, making the debrief take longer. She would even be so bold to call Kim an incompetent leader at times.

But not today. I turned around to see my long-time friend's back. She was no doubt on that watch of hers. Omni Tool, she called it. I felt a pang of jealousy thinking about the elaborate golden watch and its nice little pink straps. Ron had made that for Bonnie, without her even asking! It made me want to verify the true nature of my crush's and friend's _friendship_

They both said it was just a normal student and teacher friendship. But I had my doubts. So did Hope. Well, Hope was skeptical about anything that came out of Bonnie's mouth about Ron.

I knew Bonnie liked guys with power and status behind their names and titles. Ron, until recently, was a no one. Not that mattered to me. He was a nice guy that I always got along with. I didn't start crushing on him until Camp Wannaweep, where he showed how resourceful and brave he could be.

Now Ron had most other males, especially the D hall bullies, quaking in their boots. His former tormentors were now the tormented, from what I heard. No guy wanted to mess with him. And Bonnie liked that.

Then there was the Brick incident, where Ron made the whole scene disappear. Bodies, cars, and all. No one knew what happened to those two guys. Ron had some serious pull somewhere to make that happen. It was like one of those crooked politicians making people disappear in a spy movie. Honestly, it was kind of scary to know Ron could do something like that, but not to Bonnie.

And she liked blondes. A lot. That's the main reason she was attracted to Josh, Brick, and numerous other blondes, whose names I couldn't remember. Not that any of the guys she nabbed tended to stay around very long.

Bonnie tends to throw away her guys when they lost their popularity appeal. Once dumped, these guys would be begging for Bonnie to take them back. Buying all types of gifts for her. They were fools, not knowing Bonnie was just them using to strengthen her own popularity.

Wealth was also another big factor. Bonnie was spoiled rotten by her father. He spoiled her more than his first two daughters. Which was one of the reasons Bonnie and them never got along.

Ron was apparently rich, with his luxury sedan and expensive clothing. He had power, in the literal and metaphorical sense, wealthy, blonde, and cute. He was golden. But I knew there were other minor things I probably didn't know that made Ron suddenly attractive to Bonnie.

All this made me think of the time Bonnie had that hickey on her neck. She had never had one before, ever! I knew it was Ron's doing. All that time the two spent alone, doing God's knows what. Under the guise of 'training.'

I shook my head of these thoughts. No need to almost start crying in public and making a scene. I saw Hope giving me a concerned look. I gave her my best reassuring smile, I think.

"Bonnie!" Kim shouted suddenly, making everyone jump in fright.

"What?" Bonnie shouted back, still not facing the redhead.

"It would be imperative of you to pay attention to this briefing," Kim told Bonnie, "Especially considering you have missed the last few practices. You do need to get back into routine and in shape."

Bonnie finally turned around. "I assure you that I'm in much better shape than before."

"Sure," the captain replied dismissively, "Now pay attention this time."

"Yes, Miss Possible." The snark was real. Whatever Bonnie must have started reading was really interesting.

"I wonder why we have to go through these boring debriefings when Ron doesn't have to," Bonnie fake whispered to me when Kim started talking again. She had something nasty to say and she wanted everyone to hear it.

"I mean he has to go save the world with her on a regular basis, but she never talks about what the two can do better on the next mission. Guess she takes cheerleading more seriously than the safety of her so-called best friend and the world. Who would've thought?"

Kim's face was redder than her hair now, with all the cheerleaders staring at her, eyebrows raised with questioning glances. She dismissed everybody, marching out the gym right afterward.

Bonnie, looking very smug, told me that all three of us should get going. No need to linger at the school anymore. Her face never changed on the way to the car. Hope informed Bonnie that she had to help her mother cook because she had some relatives coming over tonight.

"Why did you embarrass Kim like that today?" I asked after we got in her car.

"Because I felt like it," she answered, "And she interrupted something interesting I found."

"Like what?" Hope asked. Bonnie had been digging around in those databases all day. Every time she found something remotely interesting, she was denied access. Which only pissed her off since all of the databases were in Biblical Hebrew. An archaic form of Hebrew that made it more difficult to read the files at times. And that old creep sending voice messages of him laughing.

I didn't like him. He was a sleazy scumbag that sold dangerous junk to all those supervillains that Kim and Ron fought. How was he not in jail yet? Probably had an army of lawyers at his beck and call with all that dough he's probably rolling in.

And what's worse, Ron had connections with this guy somehow. Maybe Hope was right about Ron being much more dangerous than he looks. Or maybe he uses these connections to help Kim without her knowing. He does tend to hide in her shadow, helping her at all times, even when she doesn't ask for it.

Ron could have brokered a deal with Jack Hench. Every time he sold some ridiculous invention to a villain, he would alert Wade about that villain's plan, anonymously of course. Kim and Ron would go after the villain to stop him or her, while Ron tried to do his best to keep most of the invention intact or in the lair that Jack legally rented out. The slimy businessman probably had some type of insurance for everything that got damaged in his lairs.

That sounded more like Ron's style. He wasn't for direct confrontation, unless necessary. He liked to mislead and trap his foes, leaving them vulnerable to better-suited people to take them down. Like he did so amazingly with Gil. Or Gill. Whatever that freak show's name was. I still shuddered at that thought of him.

"Surveillance cameras! Ron has them planted all over the Tri-City area!" Bonnie told us. She informed us of some of the locations. He had obviously placed some over his own place, and Kim's and Bonnie's. But there were some placed at my house and Hope's.

Which immediately sent the dark-haired cheerleader into an uproar. She demanded that Bonnie remove them. She didn't want Ron to be peeping on her.

"Ron isn't some creepy pervert, Hope. He doesn't need to go spying on girls when they are undressed," I told her, holding in my anger. I knew she was distrustful of him, but this was a little overboard.

"Yeah, I bet he doesn't since he can just ogle Bonnie whenever he wants," Hope muttered under her breath. I kicked her in the shin since Bonnie couldn't see me from the front. Hopefully, she didn't hear that. I had already ragged on her enough yesterday and I kind of felt bad about it.

Bonnie started to explain what she was going to do with the cameras. I guess she didn't hear Hope's comment. Good, less drama today.

She was going to make a log of everything noteworthy that happened every day. To show Ron that she wasn't slacking off all the time he had been unconscious. She wanted to do this because she had reached a roadblock in her training, with her teacher unavailable.

Hope and I shared a concerned look. We didn't want Bonnie staying up all night watching boring videos. She needed to rest at night.

Speaking of rest, where did Bonnie sleep if Ron was in her bed these last few days? Did she sleep in the bed with him, all cuddled up? Rest on his now chiseled chest? I bet it felt wonderful to sleep there. If that's what she did. Which was probably she had to do because Bonnie wasn't the type to give up comfort for someone else and she couldn't be caught asleep elsewhere in the house or her family would get suspicious.

Hope asked Bonnie what was wrong with her training. Bonnie explained that she didn't know how to increase the strength of her telekinetic powers anymore. And know she could only repeat the moves Ron had taught her. The only thing for the brunette to improve was the barriers she could now create.

"Someone with a good throwing arm and precise aim would be a great help to me," Bonnie said, pointedly looking at me through her rear-view mirror.

Before I could respond, Hope yelled at Bonnie for even attempting to drag me into what she called Ron's freakiness. Which led to the two shouting at each other, Bonnie claiming that Hope thought that she was a freak too and Hope to deny it.

After a few minutes of the two going back and forth, I told them both to shut up the fuck up. I rarely cursed, so when I did, it always surprises everyone around me. I used this to my advantage to tell my two friends we weren't going to discuss anything about Ron for the rest of the trip. I always had to play mediator between the two, since they were always fighting about something stupid. But when Ron was involved, the two got vicious and were ready to rip each other's throat.

Hope got out of the car when we reached her house. She told me not to feel pressured by Bonnie to do anything I didn't want to do. I reassured her whatever I choose was of my own free will. She and Bonnie scowled at each other before Hope headed towards her house. These two can be so childish at times. Today couldn't even be left on a good note.

As soon as Bonnie drove off, she started complaining about Hope's behavior. I told her I didn't want to hear it and requested to hear about her watch she had been focusing on all day. Something to get her mind off the recent argument.

She eagerly explained all the new features she found. The holographic projector she could use to display information was one of her favorites so far. She said it even had an automated hacking tool in it! She had used this to get in the numerous computer networks. She even found two other networks.

They both were surveillance networks used by two people. One she didn't know, but the Omni Tool had stopped her from trying to hack it. A message popped up saying it was too dangerous. The other was one used by Kim's chubby hacker friend.

I felt a little uncomfortable knowing it was this many people watching us at school. Bonnie said she would show me all the blind spots later. I would definitely like that.

I wondered if Ron would give me one of those special watches. Bonnie told me she was sure he would if I worked for him and showed I could be of use. And she said she a few ways she thinks I could do that.

Did I say that aloud? I didn't mean to! This was freaking embarrassing and Bonnie just nonchalantly answered my question like nothing was wrong with it.

But what she said made me think. What else was going on between the two? Other than what I already suspected. I asked her what she meant by working for Ron.

Bonnie drove up to her house, telling me she would explain more in her room. After getting out, going in the house, and greeting her mom, we finally headed upstairs.

Once we got inside the room, the first thing she did was check on Ron. The voice of the Ron imposter spooked me, but not Bonnie. Guess she expected it to be hiding in the shadows of her room.

Beta Ron told Bonnie that his creator did start tossing and turning about an hour ago. But that had only lasted for a few minutes, unlike the last time. Last time? Was this a regular occurrence? Maybe we should get Ron professional medical help, not storing him in Bonnie's room.

Bonnie was telling Ronnie to wake up soon, voice filled with worry. Her hand was affectionately rubbing his cheeks, telling him his 'Bon' was here. She must have forgotten I was here. But this confirmed what I feared, she had developed feelings for my Ronnie. I was angry, but it was crushed by the feeling of sadness and lost.

I saw the purple aura of Bonnie and the blue of Ron emerge from their bodies ever so slightly, barely noticeable to me. The auras collided, mixing with each other before a small fusion of the two colors flew towards me. I didn't have time to dodge, but I didn't even feel it when it hit me.

My head started to ache suddenly, and I couldn't remember what I just saw a few seconds ago. The small amount of anger I had overpowered my sadness for some reason. I felt a need to be better than what I was now. To prove myself to Ron. To show I was just as good as Bonnie. No! Better.

I walked out, unnoticed by Bonnie. She was now in the way. She was an obstacle to the affections I sought. She was a rival. But still my friend. And I was going to win Ron.

* * *

**(Wednesday Morning: Middleton High)**

The second class of the day and I was seated beside Ronald. We hadn't gotten close yet to the guy, but it has only been one day.

I had suggested to my cousin to just charm the blonde teen. Most of the American males were already smitten by her exotic beauty. She had scoffed at me, saying that the method was unnecessary. And there was the fact she couldn't do that because of the many obstacles in her way.

Kim Possible was highly protective of her best friend, especially concerning other females. Even more so around unknown ones. Then there was Bonnie and Tara. While Bonnie was subtle about her attraction and protectiveness, Tara, on the other hand, blocked off all attempts for my cousin to interact with Ron.

So, it was up to me. Ron didn't seem to have any male friends, Josh didn't count even if the two were fairly friendly towards each other. Even though most of it was genuine, the fact the two were both close to Kim had to make the two attempt to be friendly before they found some common ground. Josh being Kim's boyfriend and Ron being her best friend.

Many beautiful females just surrounded Ron. Top of the line females of various flavors! Three were already taken or interested in Ron, so I could choose between Hope and Monique. They were some of the few females in this school that didn't fall head over heels for me. They were still crushing on me though.

I looked at my two group members that were conversing, Ron and Justine Flanner. The guy had taken an interest in the school's resident super-genius, always talking to her more than anyone else. Bonnie didn't mind, but Tara did. Strange.

Ron had asked me what I knew of this subject, Algebra II. I wasn't an egghead, but I still pretty smart. I quickly did one problem and they checked over it.

After a few seconds, the two blondes suggested breaking up the number of problems among the three of us. They were confident in our abilities to get all the answers correctly. So was I. The problems were assigned, and we went to scribbling on our papers.

Middleton heavily focused on building teamwork skills. Nearly every class put everyone in groups to complete the assigned school work. This made school overall easier for many students, as long as you didn't get paired with someone you couldn't stand. But what about when the students left school? Where individual skills mattered more?

Not my problem though. These students were in for a rude awakening.

After finishing my problems, I asked what Ron had planned after school. I told him Yori and I wanted a tour of the town and he seemed knowledgeable.

Ron smiled. He said he would love to, but he already had plans this afternoon. He suggested to ask Hope for that tour I wanted and to leave Yori at home. And winked before looking back at his work.

A good idea, actually. Hope was friends with Bonnie and Tara. I could use her to ease myself in Ron's circle of friends. I would be Josh, the boyfriend that Ron had to deal with. And Hope was one of the other best-looking girl here.

The only problem was she held some animosity towards her blonde classmate. That might be a hindrance than anything.

Monique might be the better choice. Ron and her got along pretty well, having a lot of common ground. Like American television wrestling and Mexican food. And she was already friends with Kim, Ron's best friend.

I would ask Yori for advice. She would know which the better choice was. And then probably tell me not to take advantage of the girls for my own personal pleasure. She always thought I took girls' innocence because of how some were so obsessed with me sometimes. I had never done that, I was just that good of a charmer.

* * *

**(Wednesday Afternoon: Possible Household)**

I rubbed the sides of my head in frustration. The last two days had been terrible. Bonnie had humiliated me in front of the whole cheerleading squad! I now had to work extra hard to gain the respect of the new members. I didn't want them following her, she already had control of the majority of the older girls. I might not follow that silly food chain, but I knew if she had enough support that she could have me voted off as cheer captain. Taking it for herself. Which wasn't going to happen since I had worked up from the very bottom to get the position.

Then there was the missing person report case of Brick Flagg and Peter Waterson. The pair had seemingly disappeared off the map almost a week ago!

The last place the pair had been seen was the Middleton Mall last week. They had left the mall and was gone afterward. Even the car Brick owned was gone. I had asked everyone at the mall what Brick and Peter had done that day. I even checked the security footage afterward. All they did was loiter and window shop. The only two outcomes I came up with were the jocks ran away or someone kidnapped them.

The former outcome didn't make much sense because from what the police and other professionals could gather, the pair had come from happy homes. Even Brick and his constant failing. The blonde jock was a legal adult now, being 19 years old!

The parents had immediately notified the police around one in the morning on the night of the disappearance. The parents obviously loved their boys and were concerned, saying the two jocks were usually back around eleven.

The latter option was a little disturbing. Middleton always had a very low crime rate, but after my rise to heroine status, crime was almost nonexistent. Only ballsy super villains would do anything in this town. And it was usually to steal something from my dad's lab. That place needed better security. But almost no place was safe from supervillains. Especially Shego, with her ninja level stealth skills! Not that I ever met a ninja.

So, what happened that night? All the evidence points toward running away, not kidnapping. But why would they do that? And even if they did, someone would have seen them by now.

I didn't want to fail the parents. I remembered when the four of them came to my house, begging for my help. I had agreed and had Wade use the large number of favors we had stored for use to help find Brick and Peter. There were fliers and posters of the males in every state of America.

Josh came back to my room some nice cold cups of juice for us. "Still looking at the Brick case?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I just can't figure it out."

He sat down beside me. "Babe, you promised me you would be studying or doing homework. You have missed a few assignments."

I shuffled all the papers on my desk till I found my math homework that's due tomorrow morning. I would normally have it done already, but I just got distracted.

Josh gave me a peck on the cheek, thanking me for doing what he requested and focusing on my schoolwork. We worked together for the next half an hour, tackling the somewhat difficult math problems, and finishing quickly.

Since I had no more homework, I tried to resume working on Brick's case. But Josh stopped me. He said that I did all I could do already and should let others handle it. I shouldn't overload myself and focus on what I could do now. Like freak fighting and cheerleading.

"I guess since I have nothing better to do now, we better go out to the backyard and train some more," I said nonchalantly, taking glee in his nervous expression.

"Kim, I'm a little sore from yesterday," he said, "Can't we take a break?"

"No sir! You signed up for this!" I yelled, as I got up and grabbed him before he could run away. He wasn't as fast as Ron, so I always caught him. "And villains never give you a break! So, you better start learning now."

There was much protesting and groaning as I forced my wonderful boyfriend outside. I would only train him for a little and then we would talk about the two new students. Interesting pair they were.

* * *

**(Same Evening: Rockwaller Residence)**

Tara and I stood outside, in the backyard. I stood about ten feet away from the blonde girl. Beside Tara, there was a pile of tennis balls I had bought after cheerleading practice today. With Ron's credit card. My father always checked the activity of everyone's card at least three times a week and he would wonder why I had bought one hundred tennis balls.

"You sure about this Bonnie?" Tara questioned. I was going to have her throw balls at me, while I attempted to telekinetically catch them mid-flight or create a barrier to protect myself.

"Totally! Hit me with your best shot!" I loudly declared, only to be hit in between my eyes. I stumbled backwards from the unexpected force, making me fall on my ass.

I kept myself from sneering at Tara, with her obnoxious smirking. Ever since yesterday, she had been extremely passive-aggressive to me. When I had called her after she left my house, she barely spoke to me and told me we were now rivals. She said finally knew the truth now and she wasn't going to lose to me. She was going to get as strong as me.

She was still my friend at least. But when Ronnie woke up, she would be trying to steal all the time with him. But I had to let her have some, so he could train her also. It was a necessary sacrifice to save our friendship. But that didn't mean I liked it.

Today, all she had done was snipe at me. Making remarks about almost everything I did. Which made Hope join in, who didn't even ask why Tara was acting all sassy. She just joined in. Dealing with two sassy females all day was not a fun time. Even if I might have deserved it.

The worst comment Tara made was when the two of us at Smarty Mart, after I bought the tennis ball. She had asked where I got my new credit card from. When I told her I got it from Ronnie, she asked how much 'fun time' did I let Ron have so I could get the card.

I ignored the hurt that emerged in my chest. I was gifted the card by Ron for emergencies, not everyday use. I'm sure he would understand when I told him it was used for training.

"Mistress Bonnie, I believe it would be better if you focused on creating barriers first," Beta said, as it came from inside the house, holding a tray of refreshments and snack I told the android to gather. "It would require less reaction time to create. And strengthen the stability of your barriers."

"You should listen to B-Ron," the smirking blonde told me, "You're not good enough yet to stop my throws."

I got up and dusted myself off. "Quiet Tara. And his name is Beta!"

"B-Ron!"

"Beta!"

"B-Ron!"

"I will respond to either nickname."

"Your name is Beta and that's final!" I yelled at the robot, who stood there unfazed.

"Yes, Mistress Bonnie."

"B-Ron, can you call me Mistress Tara?" No, No, No, and fuck no! That title was reserved for me and me only! And his name is Beta.

"I'm sorry Tara, I cannot. You must have the approval of Creator Ron first," Beta said. Ha! Take that Tara!

"Guess I'll have to earn the privilege then," she told it, sending me a challenging look. "You ready to try again, Bon Bon?"

"Yes. Now stop with the jibber-jabber and stop calling me that!" I told her. She hit me in the stomach this time when I failed to stop the ball.

"Use barriers Bon Bon."

"Oh please, Tara. That hit was a light tap. You don't even hit that hard," I retorted, "So I'm going to keep trying to catch them because you can't even hurt me."

Tara's eyes narrowed as she launched another ball. I caught this one. But I didn't get the chance to gloat, as she hit me in the shoulder with another ball. And that one stung.

"Don't get cocky, Bon Bon," she said, even though she had a smug smile on her face. Hypocrite.

Tara was not going to show me up in front of Beta! I told her that after this little exercise, I was going to show her a few moves. Tara was a little startled because I had my predator grin on. The one I had when I had one of the peons of Middleton High trapped in a corner, forcing them to do my dirty work. Oh yes, Tara's training was going to be much more painful than mine today!


	16. Chapter 16

**(Middleton Highway: Thursday Night)**

Beta was driving my car, with Tara in the passenger seat, while I sat in the back with Ronnie. His head was in my lap, while I stroked his hair. It's been a few days and he still hadn't woken up!

Tara and I had decided to take Ron somewhere else with professional medical help. Jack told me to take Ron to the facility the blonde had trained me at. The CEO of the Hench Co. had some of his men there to protect and watch Ron. And he had some of the best men on the way.

"Mistress Bonnie, I sense elevated levels of stress. Would you like to talk about it?" Beta asked, mimicking Ron's goofy smile.

It only made things worse. The robot had been attempting to get me in a good mood when my friends weren't around. But with Ron's face plastered on it, it's attempts always backfired. He did serve as a source of stability at times since I couldn't rely on my friends as much anymore. The rifts were closing, but they still were there.

Yesterday's melee training with Tara went better than I expected. I forgot she had taken a few lessons in karate earlier in life, so the basics I knew were muscle memory to her. It just ended up with us just sparring for a bit. I kept winning because I was used to fighting a more experienced fighter and for a longer amount of times. She still kept up a good fight though.

Hope and that Hirotaka guy had hit it off. She was showing around Middleton this afternoon. I wonder how that went. The guy was good looking and seemed pretty athletic, but I was sure he was nothing compared to Ronnie.

Beta kept looking back into the car mirrors every few minutes, focused on something. He got the expressway and started to take the neighborhood streets. Someone must be following us. I looked to see a lone motorcycle, colored electric lime. Kind of a tacky color, if you ask me.

I told Beta to get back on the expressway, I was going to get rid of this nuisance. Tara asked what was happening and I told her we had an uninvited follower. He wasn't going to be here long.

I launched my hand backwards towards the distant motorcycle, using it as a focal point for my powers. I attempted to grab something off the motorcycle as I closed my eyes for better concentration. I felt the cold sensation of something smooth and soft. The item must have been leather. I guessed I was touching the gloves of the rider.

I caused the rider to jerk his hand to the left. I opened my eyes to see the rider losing control of his motorcycle. He then did something I would expect Kim or Ron to do. He jumped off the crashing vehicle and easily landed on his feet. Was he some type of ninja?

He was stared at us behind his yellow motorcycle helmet visor, becoming nothing but a speck of dust in the far distance. Wonder who he was?

"What just happened?" Tara asked me. I simply said I got rid of our pursuer.

She asked if he seems injured and I told her no. The guy was perfectly fine and was standing up, staring at us last time I saw him. She was relieved I didn't seriously hurt him and didn't pull a Ron on him like he was a D Hall bully.

I asked Beta did he know who that guy possibly was.

"I apologize Mistress Bonnie. I do know the identity of our pursuer, but you are not authorized for access to your knowledge. But I am sure Creator will tell you when he awakens," it told me, "90 percent sure."

I didn't needle it for anything else, knowing that was all I was going to get. Tara was looking at me concerned. It was frustrating enough with Ron in his current condition, but kept in the dark about so many things was even more frustrating. I was the Queen Bee of Middleton High and I could pull out whatever secrets I wanted from any of my classmates. I was sued to knowing anything I wanted at any time.

But Ron wasn't ever like any of my fellow students. He could never be categorized on any tier of the Food Chain. He freely flowed through all the different groups and levels at any time without any repercussions. No one in the school really had anything against him. There were bullies earlier in the year, but nothing else.

Maybe he would tell more after what he had seen what I had accomplished these last few days without him! I had almost mastered making barriers, with the help of Tara and Beta. I had gotten her to finally start throwing heavier and more deadly objects, like those weird knives Ron had, after I had Beta nearby as safety.

Tara had always had this natural aiming ability. Give her anything and she could hit anything within her throwing range. I actually never seen her miss. I remember the time Hope and I told Tara to try to hit this annoying fly that was in my room with a needle. The blonde had been sewing some type of dress together that day. Five seconds later, the needle was in lodged in my bedroom walls with the fly being pierced through its center.

It was fucking amazing! I totally had to give her some type of ranged weapon. Like a bow or something. Ron would know what to do. He always knew.

I opened the additional video feeds I had gained access to after badgering that old man, Jack. He thought he was superior to me because he's Ron's right-hand man or something. For now.

I wondered where I placed in the ranks of Ron's little growing empire. He had a multi-millionaire under his control and all that guy's assets! I wonder how Ron did that?

The new cameras I could look at were the ones around the three buildings Ron had in the Tri-City area. One for that place I trained at before in Middleton and the other was some building still under construction in Upperton. The last one was in Lowerton and it seemed to be like a prison or something, because I only saw criminals in orange jumpsuit go there and never leave. Some many buildings, so many secrets to unravel.

The only thing that noteworthy that I had seen from the cameras the last few days was Kim and Josh. She had approved him mission-ready, saying he knew enough. I reviewed the previous few days and I could confidently say I was better than him! And Tara!

I was kind of shocked that she would send someone with so little combat skills willingly on one of her world-saving escapades. Especially considering how anal-retentive she was at cheerleading practice. I'm sure I was on the verge of getting kicked off soon, not that it really mattered to me.

I fiddled with the amulet I was wearing, an amethyst gem in the middle encased in a gold casing. It was a relic that Ron had been looking for since they tied to his mystical power. He delegated the duty to Jack. It had been sent to Ron's house and I picked it up. I put it on Ron and the blonde's power started to visibly emerge, surrounding the amulet. But the light show died down instantly and Ron didn't awaken.

To say I was disappointed was an understatement. When I had picked the amulet up again, I started to hear some woman's voice. She said she was so happy to meet me finally and how I could help her master. I told her I didn't serve anyone, but she just giggled saying we both were helping Ronald Stoppable.

When she said his name, I got was caught off guard. Was she stuck inside this amulet? And how did she know of Ron if she was? Was she some type of spirit or demon?

As if she sensed my thoughts, she told me that the two of us had met before. It wasn't a friendly meeting, with me placed against her neck as Ron held me down the first time I revealed my powers to him. But apparently my blood was delicious to her.

What. In. The. Fuck? What kind of person was Ron dealing with and I don't ever remember some woman that night. And he used some kind of sword called the Lotus Blade….

Was this chick saying she was the Lotus Blade? And the voice said yes, excitedly. And I ask her was she reading my mind. Yes, was the answer to that question too.

I was about to take off the amulet because I didn't want some presence reading my mind at all times. I liked my privacy. The frantic yelling of the Lotus Blade telling me to stop gave me pause. She said she could help Ron awaken, but she needed my help.

I instantly asked what I had to do, against my better judgment. I knew I should be more careful with strange spirits, but I wanted to get Ron to get better. Plus, Ron did use her as a sort of weapon and I'm sure sentient weapons are loyal to their wielder.

She said I needed to do some weird ritual thing and I needed some pretty exotic items for it. I sent a list to Jack to get the items, saying it could possibly make Ron better. He quickly replied and told me it would at least take a day. So Friday afternoon then.

Beta informed me that we had arrived at the Middleton Facility. We parked inside the building and got out with Ron's body. I noticed that none of the men Jack said he had stationed here were insight. Noticing my inquisitive stare, Beta told me all the goons were elsewhere to be out of sight, so they didn't see us. To keep our identities secret.

It was a standard protocol in this location, issued by Ron himself. I do remember never seeing anyone else, but there were still those cleaning humanoid robots here and there. Ron was all about his secrecy.

As we walked down to the medical chambers, Tara started to comment on the eeriness of the place. She said she felt like she was going to meet the Illuminati or some New World Order Leaders. Did she still believe in that crap? Then again, they might be real considering everything Ron is capable of. They might be the ones who made Brick disappear. I hope Ron wasn't indebted to those guys, if they were real.

After Beta placed Ron on the bed, I gave him a peck on the cheek. And Tara copied me, placing a kiss on the opposite cheek. I squashed down my possessiveness. I didn't want to start an argument here.

Before I could tell Tara to get ready to go, an alarm went off. It kept repeating that there were multiple intruders.

"I thought this place was secure!" I yelled at Beta, "Who in the hell is attacking us?"

"That is not exactly known, but it is surely one of the villain's minion," Beta answered, "Stay here."

"No! I'm fighting too!" I told the robot, "I know Ron has some backup armor here somewhere."

Beta said it would get one of the other robots to retrieve a copy, but I shouldn't leave until my armor arrived. I agreed to this.

"What about me?" Tara asked. Both Beta and I told her stay here,

"What if one the of those guys creep past one of you? I'll be defenseless," the blonde pointed out. Beta told her not to worry, one of the robots will give her something to defend herself with. Something it was confident she will be skilled with.

A few minutes later, two robots came into the room. One holding a copy of my armor and the other holding some type of futuristic rifle. My Omni Tool ringed and I saw there was a video message for Tara. The message showed her how to operate the laser rifle and told me where the attackers where.

Once Tara was comfortable with the controls of her weapon, I slipped into my armor and headed out. I made sure Tara had locked the door behind me. I wasn't going to let anybody take anything from here. Ron would be so disappointed in me if I did.

* * *

**(Middleton Facility)**

I resisted the urge to attack the roaming Hench Co. minion that passed by me as I hid in the shadows. After being locked up by Global Justice for so long, I was eager to stretch my legs. Luckily for this goon, Drakken had a ton of missions lined up for me after this.

He had me searching for some power generator made by some egghead of Jack's. Once again, Drakken's cheap self just wanted to steal the thing instead of buying it. Didn't Drakken know Jack raised the price of the henchmen every time I stole something? Good thing those lackeys decided to stop working for their CEO and Drakken instead.

The stupid invention he wanted so bad was underwater, somehow. Drakken had put a tracking device on it while at one of the sales while I was in lock-up. I had initially got mad at him for shopping instead of getting me out. But then he told me he had actually bought that super drilling machine to bust me out. And even had a receipt for it.

I always felt weird when I know Drakken would go out of his way to help me, no matter how much I made him play Drakken Go Ouch. He would always make sure I was in good health after fights, with the medical experience he got from working for Jack before the greasy salesman started Hench Co. We were our own little evil family. Much better than my actual one at times. Well, most of the time.

Back to the invention. I followed the signal to somewhere in the middle ocean. Jack had made a freaking huge artificial island to match his ego! He supposedly was using it to transport materials and goods for his legitimate businesses. Like selling medicinal supplies, tech parts, cars, clothing, etc. He had his fingers in almost every single industry you could think of. He hadn't become a multi-millionaire just off his villain services.

On that monstrosity he made, I knew he had something hidden there. Something sinister. Just being on the site made me nauseous. Something sick and wrong was happening there and I didn't want to find out. Once I found out where the power generator was at, I quickly got off the island and went on my way.

And that's how I found myself in Princess's hometown. With WEE attacking the facility. With Jack's men and the Big Bad Cyclops #2's men fighting, it provided the perfect cover to pass by all the security. Jack had really beefed up his systems in the last couple of weeks while I was gone. I had a hard time just getting on the island!

As I slithered through the shadows, an explosion happened nearby. It knocked me off my feet, but I didn't take any damage. Agents of WEE burst through the newly made entrance, intent of seizing this place. Seemed like Jack needed to beef up his men. Or better train them, since they were as beefy as they came.

Those WEE agents saw me and spoke among themselves, loudly. They said their boss, Gemini, was offering a big award for whoever captured me. These guys were willing to split it.

Before they could attack, more Hench Co. goons appeared from down the corridor and instantly went to attacking the WEE agents. And I was stuck in the middle.

I dodged numerous sloppy bunches and retaliated with powerful kicks and punches. I grabbed one guy and threw him into a pair of rival men, knocking out all three. I performed a spinning sidekick with so much of my superhuman strength to one guy's stomach, he went rolling into a group of his own men like a bowling ball. Knocking down his comrades like they were pins.

"Strike!" I yelled, as I saw counted ten men fall. One guy tried a hook punch, but I grabbed his hand and stopped his attack. I smashed his nose in with my knuckles. The fool hit the ground, unconscious.

Most of the Hench goons were knocked out, due to either WEE or me. Mostly me though. The WEE forces backed away as I light my hands with my glow. The idiots either lose their bravado or were finally being smart. Walking away from a superior opponent.

"Retreat! We can join our allies on the side of the facility," one of the agents said, as the group of cowards ran away. A few henchmen were still conscious, albeit barely. All three of them were on their knees, barely able to move.

I heard the Hench Co. men muttering about if they didn't stop WEE, they were going to Tartarus. Tartarus? Wasn't that part of Greek mythology, the place where Zeus sent his father and father's brothers to after he defeated them? My knowledge of what happened was pretty limited, I never got into that stuff like Mego did.

I asked one of the goons about Tartarus and they all went pale white. I smirked. Something I definitely wasn't supposed to know about. Time for a little interrogation.

I grabbed the nearest one and lifted him in the air. I ignited my hand with my glow, brining it close to the henchman's face. "Tell me more about Tartarus."

The henchmen said he couldn't. That place was a fate worse than death. If he said another word about the place, he was going to be sent there. And he would rather die than go there.

Woah. What kind of messed up shit was Jack doing where his men were quaking in their boots about one place and rather die than be forced to go there? Or was this just a place he had fabricated as a rumor to pass around his men to keep them in check?

I asked the shaking minion if he had ever been there. He answered he had been there once and he hoped to never work in there again. He felt bad for anyone who had gotten sent there, no matter what types of crimes that had done in the past. Nobody deserved that fate, according to him.

I had to find out more about this place. I was about to continue my interrogation, until I spotted a red light in the distance. My instincts told me to run for cover, but I couldn't find any nearby. Well, there was this guy I was holding.

A red beam came flying towards me and I threw the henchmen in its path. His body hit the floor and immediately started convulsing like he was having a seizure. And then suddenly stopped, becoming totally limp.

"Oh shit! She just killed Kenny," one henchmen shouted.

"You bitch!" the other shouted. Seems like their fight was returning.

"He isn't dead. My beam was set to stun," the shooter from the shadows said, making me mentally sigh in relief. I didn't need murder on my conscience. "A high stun level, consider my target. He will be fine."

I looked and saw a guy in some strange, but an advanced battle suit that adequately matched the description Drakken gave me. The same kind of that person who killed all those Global Justice agents not too long ago. Drakken had ordered me to flee if I came contact with. That guy was not someone the villain community wanted to fight. He was too vicious. Too deranged. Too bold. He was going to have all types of black-ops agents from various countries trying to kill him soon.

No, this wasn't the guy. The armor he was wearing had less protection than the run on sight maniac. I was forced to dodge a beam of energy coming out the palm of his hands. Did he have powers or did the suit provide those weapons. More than likely the suit, there weren't too many mutants in this world. It was a very small circle and we all knew each other. My family, Camille Leon, Gill, and me.

I ducked and dived past all the lasers he shot at me as I made my way to him. It was a little exhilarating to do this. Maybe that's why Princess liked going through the front door instead of using stealth.

"Shego!" I heard Drakken yell over the comm I had stuck in my ear. I winced slightly. "There's some type advanced robot nearby you with a powerful energy core in its chest! It's almost on the level of the Bebes! I want you to steal it to! Or at least get its power core."

I ducked under another blast. "Robot? How do you know that?"

He then explained that my new catsuit had all types of radars and sensors on it. It was mostly being used to monitor my health signals, like heart rate, blood flow, and take note of any injuries I receive. I hadn't been listening to the first time he told me all this stuff, but he wasn't as brief as this time. I told him I was fighting the robot now.

He told me not to damage the robot too much. Then he started to curse frantically. What was going on in his side of the line?

I performed a forward somersault, allowing me to reach my robotic foe. I kicked it in its fake stomach, sending it skidding backward. I took this brief reprieve to ask what was wrong.

The Doc told me that Jack was sending a bunch of reinforcements soon and he could see that Princess was on the way too. Great. I had to hurry up and get out of here.

I got back into striking range and launched my assault on the machine. I was surprised to see the robot able to defend himself against my attacks. Not that I was full out yet, but I thought I could end the battle right there.

It attempted to blast me with one its lasers, but I tore through its arm with my glow enhanced claws. I was trying to tear the whole arm off, but my claws stopped where a human's bones would be at. It must have some type of metal skeletal system, with something that was resistant to my powers. My claws could shred through the armor of tanks! I've tried and been successful.

I started to feel nauseous as I smelt something I had smelt in a long time. Burnt flesh, I haven't smelt that since I first got my powers. I had to learn how to control my powers the quickest between my siblings because mine were the most volatile.

I was now momentarily distracted and the robot punched me in the face. I snarled at the machine as it prepared another blast. I ducked under it and I had to guard against the roundhouse kick he tried to hit me with.

I rolled with the attack, blocking the ensuing attacks as I got up. The robot was pretty good, considering it was fighting with one arm. But pretty good wasn't enough for me. I caught the sidekick it launched at me by grabbing its ankle.

I pulled the robot closer to me and grabbing its neck with my free hand. I then cut up the other arm to stop it from shooting a blast at me. Its chest started to glow a crimson red and I used my claws to slash at its neck. The metal there wasn't as dense as the arms, allowing me to slice through and behead the robot. Its head rolled onto the ground.

"Beta!" I heard a female's voice yell from down the hall. I saw the owner of the voice wearing the same armor as this the robot, but a little more armored and with a purple tint to it.

I dropped the wrecked body to the ground as I faced my new foe. "You must work for that psycho who killed all those Global Agents and kidnapped Monkey Fist?"

A purple glow encompassed her body, "Don't you dare lie about him!"

Huh. Guess she didn't like me insulting her boss. "And what are you going to do about it, little girl?"

"Mistress," was all the robot could say before I crushed its head with my glow enhanced foot.

"Quiet you!" I yelled at the annoying ball of now crushed and warped metal. A shiver went down my spine afterward.

I turned my head to see the girl's glow was now much bigger, practically erupting from her body now like a volcano! Good job, Shelia. Piss off the mutant whose powers you don't know. And give her a likely power boost to top it off. Just great.

She raised her hand at me and I prepared myself to dodge some type of projectile attack. For a second I thought she was just standing there and posing, but I tried to move and was unable to. Uh oh.

My body flew into the air as she flicked her hand upwards. My body exploded in pain as I hit the ceiling and I'm sure my nose was broken. It'll fix itself in a few minutes. And this girl had telekinesis. That meant if I got in close, I would win. She probably had no type of combat training, just riding on her one power to win fights.

She slammed my body into the nearby wall next and then the ground. I'm glad I had enhanced durability or my bones would surely be broken by now. She then started to pull me towards her and I saw a darker purple ball gather in her free hand.

Oh fuck no. I wasn't going to be hit by that! I had to get out of her telekinetic grip! Think Shego!

In desperation, I encased my whole body in my glow. I rarely did this become I would burn everything in my path. But more importantly, I couldn't sustain it like Hego could.

I felt her grip weaken, but I was still hurtling towards my foe. I was able to get full control of my body at the last moment. I lashed out towards her sides with my claws. I cut through her armor like butter with my glow.

She shrieked in pain before still hitting with a considerably weaker punch. I was sent back a few feet and I think one of my ribs broke from the attack. I dropped my full body glow, already feeling the stamina drain of it.

I ran towards the girl, not wanting to lose the advantage. She was holding her side, but attempted to grab me again. Nope! I threw a plasma bolt, hoping to make her do a half-assed dodge roll.

Instead, she made a purple transparent square appear in front of her! It stopped my attack somehow, but the barrier immediately broke afterward. Guess the heat was too much for it!

I kept throwing plasma bolts at her until I got in her face. She deftly dodged almost all the attacks I sent at her. The few she didn't, she made miniature shields to take blows instead. She would send basic punches and kicks in between, but none of them ever connected. With the speed of her reactions, I determined she was used to dealing with someone who attacked harder and faster.

I needed to find that person, because I wanted a challenge. All this dodging and failed countering was boring me. I wanted someone who take a hit from me and hit just as hard. Someone who raised the stakes of the battle.

"The way you fight reminds of a certain redhead," I told the girl. I wasn't losing breath, but I could tell she didn't have the endurance to keep this going. It wasn't that noticeable, but she was starting to get slower minute by minute.

"Shego! What are you doing? You've wasted too much time, so you need to get out!" Drakken yelled in my ear. I didn't let this distract me, as I front kicked my foe with all my strength and some glow for added measure.

She wasn't ready for the glow. My foot went through her shield and hit in her chest. She was knocked off balance and landed on her back. I didn't give her the chance to recover, moving up to her down body. She made a bubble-like shield that completely covered her as I attempted to attack her.

I made a large ball of concentrated plasma in between my two hands, before slamming down on the shield. The shield broke, but it diffused my powers. I powered up my fists again launching attack after attack as this annoying fly kept making shields. I just kept smashing them, never reaching her body. One after the other after the other.

She was getting weaker each time I broke a shield, barely able to keep her arm up. Once she could barely move, I decided it was time to grab what I came for. I did a number on my foe, nothing like I ever did to Kim. But this one was much more dangerous, with the fighting same as Kim. Running away and attacking when I was most vulnerable.

I was a heavy hitter, fighting head on and attempting to bulldoze my foes. Kim and this girl took advantage of that. Kim was like a bee while this one was like a hornet. Kim's attack only stung a little and she usually had to capture me through the use of traps and gadgets. My new defeated foe could actually seriously harm me if I let her hit me in the wrong place, so I had to take her down quickly.

Drakken started yelling at me again to leave, but I told him it would only take a second for me to get his precious power generator. And plus the robot's power core was up for grabs too.

"Shelia!" He was calling me by my first name? He wasn't allowed to do that, but he did say it when he meant business. "Jack and Kim Possible have both arrived! The stuff I want isn't worth you getting captured. If either one of those two gets their hand on you, you're going back to Global Justice cells."

He had a good point. I told him I was leaving, rushing to my hovercraft. On my way out I saw Jack and about fifty henchmen with him. Princess was beside him, arguing with him to let her in his facility take care of the rest of the WEE agents. He told her no because it was his legally owned property and if she went inside, he was going to press charges for trespassing.

"Shego!" Kim yelled as she saw me, "You're going back to jail!"

"I think not Princess," I said as I kept running to my hidden hovercraft. Kim tried to make a run for me, but Jack put his hand on her shoulder stopping her. It stopped her long enough to let me summon my hovercraft. I gave her the one-finger salute as I launched in the air and turned invisible.

Once Middleton was nothing but a few lights in the distance, I felt safe that they were no pursuers. I was about to contact Drakken when I felt my vehicle shake uncontrollably. "Hey Dr. D, I have just been shoot. I thought you said all the aircraft went to Jack's place! So you better start explaining!"

"They did go there!" He yelled back, "I have no idea how you've been hit. I'm not picking up anything from the readings."

"Great, I've got an invisible and untraceable foe behind me," I muttered as the hovercraft jerked again, "Blue, I might be in for a crash landing!"

I tried to keep the craft steady as it kept jerking wildly from the unknown attack. I eventually lost control when everything became unresponsive and the hovercraft dived bomb into the trees.

I was barely able to stay conscious when the vehicle hit the ground. My head banged against the front window and I could feel the warmth of my blood trickling down my head. Fuck! I head to get out of this bird!

I exited through the rear entrance. I took one quick glance at the crash site and knew the hovercraft was totaled.

The wind bellowed as I saw a strange VTOL looking vehicle apparating out of thin air. So this what must been what shot me down. Some friends of Global Justice?

Men dressed in full black body armor and combat masks with blue shining goggles emerged out the rear ramp. They jumped out before the VTOL landed, armed with some strange rifles of some sort. When I saw them aim at me, I had already bolted into the forest.

A flurry of lasers passed by me, too close for comfort. I felt a searing pain in my back, that dropped me to my knees. I saw them slowly moving towards me, rifles still raised. I shot a plasma bolt at the group and another at the tree nearby me.

This first ball of plasma caused them to back away, while the second made the tree fall down. This provided a distraction that allowed me to collect myself and start running again.

I zigzagged as I ran through the forest, going past trees to be used as temporary cover. These meatheads had an impeccable aim, as the lasers almost hit me every time. I looked back quickly to see them still chasing me! They were fast as hell and had no intention of slowing down.

Looking back was a mistake, as one was able to score a shot on me. I almost fell down, but the adrenaline in my body allowed me to keep going. I couldn't get caught by these men. They had to work for that maniac! My gut and the knowledge of that Tartarus place told me I wasn't ever going to see daylight again.

This mission for the Doctor had turned into a clusterfuck. I thought it was going to be another easy theft that led to the usual confrontation with Kim later in the week. Just sneak in and get out. I wasn't expecting to fight another mutant and a squad of elite men wielding advanced weaponry trying to capture me.

Now I was running in a forest like a wild animal being chased by a pack of hunters. Fear of capture or death. Yes. I was feeling fear again. Like if I slowed down, I would be knocked out and find myself strapped to a table with one bright light over me. People in white hazmat suits would poking and prodding my body to figure out how my powers operated. And I would be paralyzed the whole time, while they didn't use any type of painkillers while they performed their crazy experiments on me. I was just be stuck there in pain, not even being able to vocalize it. That was the stuff of nightmares.

Two more blasts hit me, one in the leg and the other in the shoulder. The pain was too great. I crashed into the ground, just like my hovercraft. My pursuers caught up before I had the chance to get up.

As I struggled to get up, I was shot numerous times. I almost fainted from the pain and I knew I let out a humiliating scream of pain each time I was shot. I felt so pathetic right now, helpless at the moment. I had curled into a ball, trembling in pain.

I wasn't going to end like this! I felt cold hands grab my body! No! I tried to struggle, but my body was weakened and damaged. I couldn't fight them off, they were stronger than the normal human and I couldn't muster my full superhuman strength.

My pain, humiliation, and helplessness turned into a burning ball of anger at my core. I found new strength as I kick off one of the guys holding my legs. I felt a hand on my throat and my body suddenly felt like it was on fire as I started choking.

The heat was unbearable and I had to release it somehow. I let another scream as I saw green fire engulf my foes before I blacked out.

* * *

**(Undetermined Location)**

I don't know how long I was out, but I woke up in my room in the lair. Had everything been a dream. I tried to get out my bed.

"Definitely not a dream," I hissed in pain, as I sat back down. My body was in the worst ever pain I felt. Then it hit me, I had no clothes on and I was under my sheets. What the fuck?

"Drakken!" I yelled. I immediately regretted that, as my throat even hurt. My voice was hoarse. I heard stomping at my door.

There were a few quick knocks at my door. "Are you covered up?"

My anger skyrocketed. He better have a good explanation for this. "Come in dufus!"

When he walked in, he immediately started to ask me a myriad of questions. Mostly about how much pain I was in and where did it hurt.

"I feel like shit Doc," I told him bitterly, "Why am I fucking naked?"

He explained that's how he found me in the middle of the forest. He had started to fly towards my location when I said I was going to crash and under attack. He was glad he made it in time before those pesky nearby Global Justice agents found me. He said I was in the fetal position in a black crater surrounded by burnt trees, several piles of ash, and some warped pieces of metal. His newly designed synthodrones had picked me up and carried me back to the hovercraft he had. He had his creations cover me up with some cloths.

"I was worried that I hadn't made it in time. I had scanned you back in the hovercraft and you had internal bruising and bleeding," he told me, "But your comet powers were slowly repairing the damage and I was able to quicken the healing once we got to the lair. I had sent the men on vacation before I got back, so no one saw you."

I knew Drakken wouldn't take advantage of me, but it was always nice to hear he didn't and how well he took care of me when I was hurt.

"What about the men in black chasing me?" I asked him, getting a confused look from him, "The one with the laser rifles."

I remembered them clearly holding me down before my vision was filled with just fire. Green fire. I didn't...

He told me that they were no men. He told me the same thing as before, burnt trees, piles of ash and warped pieces of metal. Piles of ash. Warped pieces of metal. My blood ran cold and I felt the need to puke. "You sure?"

"Yes, Shego."

Oh God. What had I done? But if I didn't, who knew what was going to happen to me? That wasn't Global Justice, those dead men worked for that maniac. And after what he done to those agents, I didn't want to be in his grasp. Especially considering what he did to Will Du. He was going to have a field day with me.

"Hey Drew," I said. The usage of his first name made him even more concerned. "Can I have a few days off?"

"No." Why that bastard! After everything I've just been through for him in the last few hours! I was about to yell at him again, but he held his hand up.

"You will take the rest of the month off. Rest and get past what happened."

I gave him a weak smile, a genuine one. Not a smirk. "Thanks Drew."

"No problem Shelia. I leave you to yourself. Call if you need me," he said before leaving my room.

Now alone again, I let out the sob I was holding in.


	17. Chapter 17

**(** **Rockwaller Residence: Bonnie's Room)**

"I'm going to be out most of the day, so just call me if you need to Bon Bon," my mother said as she left my room. Hope and Tara came out of their hiding spots in my room. I had finally convinced my mom I wasn't fit for school today. Courtesy of a combination of fake coughing and real pain.

Hope and Tara probably would say I wasn't good enough for school anyway. Due to my injuries I had suffered last night. The state of the art medical station in the facility had made the injuries heal pretty well.

Hope had been pissed when she saw my injuries, saying it was all Ron's fault! And then called a freak again! That girl was lucky I was still recuperating. Wait until I was better. Placing all the blame on Ron when someone else did the damage.

Tara was mortified and freaked out after getting a first-hand look at my wounds right after the battle with the Flaming Green Dike. She then said she was going to skin Shego alive next time she saw the villainess. Woah there, Tara! No need to get murderous. Strangely enough, her murderous rage comforted me.

My two friends looked at me as I used my powers to open a box I got from Jack. Inside it was a paintbrush, some ink and long sheets of paper bundled in rolls called scrolls. Then there were bricks from the temple my amulet came from.

I had asked about the relatively simple items for the ritual to Hisako, she wondered why I was surprised about the ritual materials. I told her I expected something more bizarre and exotic, like animal hearts and feet. She curtly told me not to confuse her with a demon or a maleficent spirit that some mortals worshipped.

I was relieved she wasn't of Pagan origin, a possibility that had been at the back of my mind since she first spoke to me. Made it much easier to attempt this ritual. I didn't have to worry about being possessed and doing some ceiling crawling, while having my head do a complete one-eighty.

There was only one step thing that was needed for the ritual. A drop of blood from each one of us to be placed in the bottle. For reasons I did not know. When I telekinetically placed a syringe in Hope's hand and told her what I needed, she started freaking out.

I held her down with my powers as Tara extracted the blood. My friend wasn't afraid of needles, so I don't know why she was acting like she was having a panic attack. She was just over exaggerating for show. She best sit her silly ass down when I started the ritual. I didn't need her to mess up something.

I used my telekinesis to scribble some incantations on the scrolls with the paintbrush, after placing the bricks on top of the scroll. The incantations were written in Hebrew because English wasn't refined enough as a language. I started to mutter the necessary words and could feel something like Ron's power flowing through me. Maybe this would work!

"All we need is an Ouija board and this would be the perfect scene for where the naïve high schoolers get brutally murdered by some demon or sadistic killer they summoned for shits and giggles," Hope said suddenly, breaking my focus.

Hisako commanded me to tell Hope to shut it, total silence was needed. When I told Hope to be quiet, she refused and started asking questions about why and how I knew this ritual. I forgot I never told my two friends about Hisako. And the look in Hope's paranoid eyes told me not too. She would probably do something reckless and mess up the whole ritual.

Her distrust of Ron was becoming a real problem. I was going to have to keep a close eye on her from now on. Nobody was going to hear about the things that happened between the four of us on my watch!

I made up a quick lie about how I found the ritual in Ron's databanks. Hope let out a barrage of questions. "What were you exactly searching for at the time? How did you come across the file, and how did you even know this was going to work? And what does the ritual exactly do?"

Tara chimed in to, also demanding answers. I told them to be quiet after a minute or two of their incessant questioning, a little harshly at that. Finally, there was silence.

I recited the incantations again, this time with no interruptions. I felt a strong burst of power coming from the amulet. Within half a second, Hisako's somewhat familiar presence had disappeared from the piece of jewelry.

The lights in my room suddenly went off. The windows opened, letting a strong gust of wind fly in. Tara and Hope both started screaming, running to edge of the bed. I felt a hint of fear and uncertainty as a small cyclone appeared in my room where the scrolls were placed. Tara and Hope let out another shriek of fear.

The cyclone suddenly dissipated, revealing the figure of a small girl with long hair in some type of fancy oriental dress. She was transparent and her body was a light blue. Almost like a hologram.

"Good Job, Bonnie," the girl said.

Her voice was familiar. Could this be? "Hisako?"

She nodded. "Now that I'm temporarily in the mortal world, I can awaken my master!"

"Bonnie, you've gone too far! You're summoning this strange spirits now. I'm getting Kim and whoever else she works with to take care Ron," Hope yelled, "And we are getting you to see a therapist or something, because Ron has loosened a few screws in your head somehow."

Tara tried to calm Hope down, but to no avail. Hope seemed dead set on getting out of this room. I wasn't going to let her.

"You care a lot about your friends, little girl. Your loyalty is commendable," Hisako told my friend, "You will make a worthy vessel."

Before I could even ask what the spirit meant by what she said, Hisako was flying towards Hope. I tried to grab her powers, but it seemed Hisako was immune to them.

My stomach churned at the sight of Tara pushing Hope out the way. Hisako's transparent body went into Tara's, the blonde fell to her knees and her head slumped forward. I was about to panic as I watched Hope shake Tara's unresponsive body and yelling her name frantically. Then she glared at me, with such venom that I felt myself flinching.

"This is all your fault!" Hope yelled, as she clutched Tara's unconscious body, "These last few weeks have all been about him! Ron this! Ron that! You've forgone us for him!"

"No, I haven't!"

"Yes you have! You were just fighting that green freak for him! And what was your reward? A beat down and some scars for life?"

My hand flew to my side as phantom pains flared from Shego sliced me. The scars were very faint and would eventually fade in time. Hopefully.

Hope kept going on her tirade, even bringing up the time I first used my powers on her and threatened her. "You betrayed us just so you could ride your freakish new boy toy! You're no better than your sisters!"

At the beginning of Hope's little speech, I actually felt ashamed and guilty of my actions. But she had crossed the line again by insulting Ron! I was going to let it slide this once because of Tara's state, but then she compared me to my sisters! I couldn't let her get away with that. No one ever did that. Not even my parents.

The sound of Tara laughing stopped me from doing I knew I seriously regret, but was too angry to care. All that mattered now that Tara was okay.

"You mortals are so funny, with your petty squabbles. I would love this argument paly out more, but I have an important task to complete." That wasn't Tara, that was Hisako!

The possessed body of Tara pushed Hope a considerable distance away from her. She rose up slowly, her eyes a striking light blue, like Ron's when he uses his power. And there was that out of place smirk on her face. It was kind of creepy.

"Get out of her, you damn demon!" Hope snarled at Tara's body.

Hisako just laughed at her. "Or what? You can't do anything to me, Tara, Bonnie or my master, weak little girl! My master has powers your measly brain can't comprehend. Bonnie has her mutant powers to defend herself. Tara even has martial arts training and uncanny eye. But you, you have nothing."

I was torn between defending Hope and getting on with business. I choose moving forward, I could always comfort Hope later. She didn't deserve what was said to her, no matter how frustrating and disrespectful she had been today.

Hisako kept talking, luckily not about Hope anymore. I don't think she could take anymore. Hisako wanted my friend to drive her to Ron's house, with my car.

"Now, no funny business on the way there. I would hate to hurt you. That's a lie, I love causing pain to anyone other than my master and his precious people. But you're not on that list, so pain will make me feel better! But my master would still get probably get upset me though."

Hope's eyes widen comically and she fervently agreed to not do anything hostile. Hisako held her hand, obviously wanting my keys. With my telekinesis, I placed the keyring in her palm. Hisako clutched them and told Hope to follow her. As soon Hisako left the room, I told Hope I had something to say first.

"Don't let her get to you," I told, "You are the brains of the three of us. Ron and her just haven't seen your talents yet."

Hope just glared. "I rather seen as useless by those two. If either one of them take an interest in me, I'll lose any free will. I'm not some puppet for them to use. Cause that's all you and Tara are to both of them. Remember that Bonnie."

She left the room when she heard Hisako yell her name impatiently. I prayed to God I wasn't sending Hope off to her doom. Hisako wouldn't do anything drastic to my friend, right?

* * *

**(With Hope)**

As I drove towards freakshow command, Tara's possessed body turned on the radio. It surfed through the channels until it got to the Pop station. And then it started to sing along to the new obnoxious mainstream song.

My knuckles whitened as my grip on the wheel tightened. This thing had taken over my friend's body and was gleefully enjoying itself! Taking pleasure from my fear when it threatened me with bodily harm. And Bonnie didn't even try to do anything! I thought we were friends. Best friends.

Ron had her wrapped around his finger. I just didn't understand how the silly sidekick of Kim Possible turned into this mind manipulating possible crime lord. He can make people disappear off the face of the Earth for Pete's sake!

And now he had this supernatural being acting all happy go lucky in Tara's body, while she was stuck in what type of mindset! I didn't know who to hate more. The spirit for taking over Tara, Bonnie for summoning it, or Ron, who was the spirit's master. Somehow.

What kind of stuff was he involved in where he had control over otherworldly beings. It did say he had some type of freakish power that awed it. Maybe that's how he did it. Overpowering some spirits and then got a little following.

I even hated myself at the moment, for allowing this to happen. If I was fast enough, I would have gotten out the way and Tara wouldn't be in this predicament! I should have told Kim about this weeks ago.

I turned off the radio, tired of its singing. It immediately turned the radio back on. For the next few seconds, we continuously turned the radio on and off. When I reached a stop sign, the spirit pinched a part of the lower neck. I was going to scream in pain, but the spirit said it would make it worse if I did. I bit my tongue to stop myself.

"The music stays on," she told me as she let go, all the pain leaving in an instant. I rubbed my neck where she pinched me when the radio was turned back on. The spirit started giving me directions to Ronald's house. I wanted to tell her I already knew where he lived, but I held my tongue. I knew because every one of the cheer squad knew it's each other home address.

Even though he was the mascot, he still counted as one of us. No matter how much some of us didn't like it. I also started to remember it off the top of my head, just in case Bonnie needed my help.

"Hope, what do you think of my master?" I was suddenly asked. Hearing Tara's body call Ron master made my skin crawl, like if insects were crawling over my skin. It was just so wrong, made worse by the huge crush she still had on the blonde guy. For whatever reason.

"Why does it matter to you?" I snapped at it. My body immediately recoiled, anticipating to be hurt. I felt weak that I was starting to expect to get hit for saying the wrong thing. First Bonnie, then this damn supernatural being.

"I'm curious," she answered, unfazed by my outburst. Then she morphed Tara's face into this crazed cruel smile, one befitting a true villain. "Because if I deem you to be an unnecessary risk, I have ways of dealing with you."

My body went stiff from the implications. My body was being poked as answers were demanded. I was going to have to lie to save myself, but one look into Tara's possessed ice-blue eyes made my heartbeat uncontrollably as the first lie was on the tip of my tongue.

I gulped nervously as I began to tell this otherworldly being about my true feelings about Ron. I still omitted a lot of details, in fear of my own safety and my friends. I still needed to get them away from that freak Ron!

The spirit started laughing at me. She told me she thought it was funny that I thought I could hide the fact I hadn't told it everything. But it didn't matter to it, I was deemed a threat at all. It had asked me for its own twisted pleasure.

I gritted my teeth, hating the mind games the spirit was being. And I was supposed to be the smart one of the female trio.

I finally got to Ron's house, driving up to the freak's house. I got out as quickly as possible, wanting to get space between it and me. I waited for it at the door while it took its sweet time, leisurely strolling to the door. I thought it said it had things to do! I noticed it used one of the keys on Bonnie's keyring to open the door.

Bonnie, what would your father say if he knew you had direct access to a boy's house? He'll probably put the guy six feet under. Which might not be a bad idea. I was sure Ron couldn't dodge bullets!

We walked into a silent house. No one was her. Not even Ron's parents! Crap. I thought we would have at least one obstacle.

A strange mix of growling and screeching below us gained our attention. A small blob of pink flesh was making the noise. A weird pet that befitted a freak like Ron. A naked mole rat.

Tara's body petted the disgusting thing, while channeling some of that weird blue energy out of her hand. That seemed to make the rat docile. She told it she would give him his favorite cheese if he let me in. I didn't need the permission of this foul creature. I could just punt it across the room.

The rat made a joyful noise as it scampered off. I followed tara's body upstairs. We got to what I had to assume what was Ron's door. When we walked inside, I was surprised by the cleanliness of the room and the lack of a total mess everywhere.

It was still jarring to see how different Ron had changed in the last month or two. Sometimes, I thought of him as two different people that had switched lives suddenly. Ron the loser had been shipped to the unknown lands that Ron the Prince had arrived from.

I looked at Prince Ron, as he lay in his bed, like he had been in Bonnie's for the last couple of days. His face and jaw were no longer filled with baby fat, now all angular and sleek. He had also gained noticeable muscle mass. His hair was now well-groomed, not the shaggy mess with the notorious cowlick. Any Middleton student would describe him as a high-level food chain hottie. But they wouldn't say that if they knew about his freakishness.

I watched as Tara's body rubbed his head soothingly. Something that wasn't out of place for once. If Tara was in control of her body, she would do this willingly and love it. All to comfort her precious Ronnie. Disgusting.

"It's time to wake up, Master," the possessor said through Tara's body. Tara's body lowered her head close to Ron's face. I stood in shock as the blondes' lips met, both exuding that weird blue energy. What was this, some remake of Sleeping Beauty?

Ron's eyes snapped open as their lips parted. Tara's head slumped onto Ron's lap as he looked around his room. He noticed, stared for a half of a second, before continuing his scan. He didn't even seem to care or was surprised I was here.

Did he see me as someone insignificant? I bottled up the indignant anger, telling myself it was better this way. It was the only to stop whatever he was doing. And to free my friends from his control.

Ron held Tara's hand after she woke up and started to apologize nervously. Was he now making a move on Tara? He can't! She already had this huge crush on him. I'll tell Bonnie. She would put a stop to this. Or better yet, this would put some distance between teacher and student. And the eventual split would make Tara choose between Ron and Bonnie. And Tara would choose Bonnie over a boy any day!

I mentally cackled to myself. Just you wait, Ronald Stoppable. I was going to get Kim involved and get you where you rightfully needed to be. Locked up in a cell, with the key thrown away.

* * *

**(Middleton High: Later that Day)**

Five and a half days. That's how long I was out. That was a lot of fucking time I lost! And there was so much shit that hit the fan during the time. Gemini, Drakken, and Shego will pay for the damage they caused during that raid.

Did they know how much tech they destroyed during their attack? And what was saved had to be moved from the site before all the government agencies came to investigate. The legal procedures could only hold them off for so long.

And there was the destruction of Android Beta. Shego had dismantled my creation. He would have held up much better if he had all of his programmings. At the time, he had only about thirty-five percent. At least the data cores survived. The body could be replaced in about a month or a month and a half. But that meant it was now difficult to leave Middleton for extended periods. Again!

The snapping of the third or fourth pencil I crushed this class caught the attention of some of my classmates. Notably Kim, Monique, and Tara. I checked the eyes of my fellow blond. Teal. That meant Tara was in control. For now.

After being summoned into the mortal plane, Hisako had taken residence inside Tara's body. Something I wasn't happy about. I was about to try to evict her, but she told me that Tara would be in control. Most of the time. I actually only seen the blonde in control. Wonder what makes Hisako come out?

Wondering about this new development made me remember how I woke up. Tara, or Hisako, kissing me. I don't know what possessed that damnable woman to do that! I didn't even get the chance to ask because Tara had regained control and started apologizing profusely.

All I could gather from Tara's nervous rambling was that even when Hisako controlled the blonde's body, Tara could witness what was happening. She compared it to taken out the driver seat of a car suddenly and being put in the passenger seat. She had no control over the destination or route, but she still experienced the ride.

And then there was Hope, who drove Hisako there since the sentient weapon didn't know how to operate modern technology. Bonnie's second-best friend had learned a lot about my secrets through her interactions between her two best friends. She was a big risk to have walking around. And I had no leverage over, unlike Bonnie and Tara.

The easiest course of action was to just have her disappear. But Bonnie and Tara would turn on me. No question about it.

I could threaten her family's well being to keep her in check. Threatening just her life wouldn't have any effect on her, since she had something against me and was extremely loyal to her friends. She would probably take a bullet for either one of them. Knowing her, she would just blab to Bonnie about my threats and that level of nagging wasn't something I wanted to deal with. Bonnie already nagged me enough about not getting enough rest.

Maybe I could use peer pressure on her. With Tara and Bonnie being her best friends, she would eventually cave into whatever their views of me were. Something positive at least, and I wouldn't have to worry about her anymore. And I wouldn't have to put much effort into it, Bonnie could and will do all the work.

Yes. This is what I would do. I glanced behind me to look at the olive-skinned cheerleader. She was still giving the stink eye she had been giving me since I had awoken. Guess she thought she seemed intimidating like that.

One of my unimportant classmates slipped a not on my desk. I opened the folded piece of paper to see what it said.

"Lunch?" it said. The initials of T and H was in the corner. T was obviously Tara, but H was either Hisako or Hope. I wrote my agreement to this on the paper and passed it back to no name.

A second later, he gave me another note. This one was from Felix, asking if I was up for Zombie Mayhem tonight. As much as I wanted a good evening of mindless zombie killing, I had things to take care. Maybe Saturday. I passed the note back to the same guy as our teacher's back was turned.

He gave me another note as I gave him the previous one. It was from Kimberley this time. She wanted to know if I was going to come to her house tonight for Ron night. I didn't have a reasonable excuse for her tonight. I had to deal with the follow up of the WEE raid, repairing Android Beta, and checking up on Bonnie. She had been injured and I wanted to check her injuries in person. I had a full report on them, but I was apprehensive about opening the report. I was going to read it before I left school though.

I quickly wrote back I couldn't, giving lie saying I had a lot of homework to finish and I had procrastinated somewhat. Maybe she would believe I was slipping a little into my old self. Bad habits and all.

"Ronald! Would you come up to the front of the class and read that interesting not you have?" my teacher said suddenly.

I was confused. I had passed the note when she wasn't looking, her back was turned.

"I was talking about Mr. Rieger. Stay seated, Mr. Stoppable," she said as I got up out of my chair.

Ronald Rieger. I totally forgot he even existed. Wonder what happened to him in the future? Most of the students of Middleton High had either worked for The Regime or The Resistance.

All of the cheerleading squad followed Bonnie to the Regime. Monique and Josh had started working with Kim and the newly formed Resistance. Justine had joined the research department of The Regime. And all the others students joined The Resistance.

Why was I even worried about this guy anyway? He was more of a nobody than I used to be. An accomplishment in itself. The only notable thing I remember about him was when he rigged the Homecoming elections to make Bonnie the queen.

When he got to the front of the class and started speaking, his voice made something in my memories spur to the forefront of my mind. This guy was part of the think tank of The Resistance, with Jim, Tim, and Wade. The least intelligent one, but still abnormally smart. He made up for his lower intelligence, compared to his colleagues at least, with his out of the box thinking. He had created many different types of strange weapon and defense systems for The Resistance to catch The Regime off-guard.

I felt my right arm feel a burn from years ago, I resisted the urge to grab ahold of the spot. The bastard had developed a sensor system that could detect my mystical powers. That was the point I had personally eliminated him and his research team. I lost some of my best men getting rid of him. I don't understand how I could forget about him!

When the boy returned to his seat, he mouthed an apology to me. I must have been glaring at him. I wasn't upset at him about the note. The memories had put me in somewhat of a foul mood.

I didn't respond to him, instead I pretended to focus on the class. I was still finding the best way to deal with the recent events. So much to do, so little time.

When I heard the bell rang that signaled the end of class, I walked out the class quickly. I saw a small group following me. Consisting of various friends and associates. Kim was going to be the first to reach me, if Tara hadn't pushed the redhead out of the way.

"Let's go Ron!" she said as she got close and grabbed my hands. I noticed her eyes were blue instead teal. Of course Hisako would be so bold.

I gave the stunned group a sheepish smile as I was dragged away. Monique and Felix looked on in confusion, while Kim was glaring daggers at Tara's back. Josh stood by Kim, clueless. And Hope was alarmingly close to Hirotaka.

Yamanouchi had sent Hirotaka and Yori here in Middleton. For exactly what purpose, I didn't know. More than likely looking for whoever keeps summoning the Lotus Blade. I might have gone a little overboard in the last month or so.

Another source of frustration those two ninja were going to be. But eventually, they were going to be allies. Yamanouchi was loyal to the Chosen One and his will. And Hirotaka will be the first to kneel in servitude.

Of the two ninjas, Hirotaka was the one always more comfortable getting his hands dirty to get the job done. He still abhorred killing, but was less likely to hesitate when lethal force was necessary. Even at this age. When did he say he got his first kill? Fifteen? Or was it sixteen?

I was pulled out my pondering when Tara, I mean Hisako, stopped tugging on my arm. She had brought the three of us outside, near the back of the school.

I asked Hisako what she wanted to speak about. She said she had nothing to say, it was Tara who wanted to speak. The blonde had lost the will to try to talk to me when she saw Kimberly approaching me. Hisako had just got annoyed and taken over.

"Is this going to be a regular occurrence?" I asked, irritation clear in my voice. Hisako being able to take over Tara at any time was deeply unsettling to me.

"No Master! Stop being such a worrywart," she answered flippantly, aggravating me even more, "As time passes, my influence will become weaker. Eventually, I will only gain control if she voluntarily allows me to control, when she's forced unconscious, or in times of extreme desperation."

I asked what she meant by times of extreme desperation. Hisako explained it was when Tara's, Bonnie's, or my life were in mortal danger.

"Why did you even possess her body? What purpose does you inside of Tara serve?" I asked, rather heatedly. My anger was slowly rising.

"For you to have anchors to this world, Master," Hisako, "You can't learn how to use the Mystical Monkey Powers to their fullest potential by being some detached cold killing machine. This divine power's strength you have been blessed is determined by your emotions. Anger, greed, hatred, sadness, happiness are all triggers for your powers."

"But do you know what is the most powerful trigger, Master?"

"No."

"Love, Master. That is what is most powerful. And you have so much within you. It just needs to be released."

"You're saying this like I don't love some already," I told her.

Hisako shook her head, like I was some idiot. "That isn't love. That is a twisted perversion of your trust and caring for others."

I snarled at her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "And what do you know of love? You're just a damn spirit."

She just smiled sadly, saying her time was up. She said I need to focus on what I could have now and what be true. Not something built on manipulation and lies.

Tara's head slumped forward as I kept my grip on her. "Ron, you're grabbing too hard."

I immediately let go, staring at my shaking hands. I didn't mean to hurt Tara. "I'm sorry Tara."

She came over to me and hugged me. "It's okay. Just don't let Hisako get to you so much."

I hugged her back, one hand on her back and the other rubbing her head. Memories of an older Tara being in the same position popped into my mind, probably due to the meddling of Hisako. I asked Tara if she wanted a cup of hot chocolate. Hot chocolate, not Drakken's abomination, Coco Moo. Tara was always cheered up by a cup of her favorite drink.

She asked me where would I even get hot chocolate from. I told her I could steal some from the teacher's lounge. It would be the cheap brand, but I'm sure I could make some decent out of it with right amount of added sugar.

She chuckled and said she was fine. She asked how did I know she always uses hot chocolate as a pick me up.

I told her it was a gut feeling. I even enjoyed a cup here and there. Tara said it sounded like more like my stomach, not my gut, was telling me get some the hot goodness and use her as an excuse to gorge myself. I smiled, knowing that was something my younger self would do.

Both of our stomachs growled at the same time. I check my Omni Tool for the time. We only had about fifteen minutes left for lunch.

"Bueno Nacho?" Tara asked.

I nodded. "Bueno Nacho."

* * *

**(Rockwaller Residence: Bonnie's Room)**

After talking to Mrs. Rockwaller for a while, I headed upstairs to Bon Bon's Room. I slowly opened the door, knowing she had developed a habit of freezing unknown guests. No response. Strange.

I walked in slowly, softly saying her name to alert her I was here. I found her asleep in her bed. She was still obviously tired from last night's events, judging by her hazardous position in the bed and her disheveled appearance. And she had a sliver of saliva coming out the side of her mouth.

I searched around for the tissue box. I grabbed a sheet once I found it. I walked over to Bonnie and wiped away the drool, discarding the tissue into the trash.

Next I grabbed her legs that were dangling off the bed. I placed her in a comfortable position and that's when I noticed it. Three faint marks going across the lower right side of her abdomen. My fingers ran across the marks slowly, making Bonnie fidget in her sleep from my ministrations.

I used my powers for the first time today. I felt a larger amount come to my command and it was much easier to control.

I focused my newfound power in an attempt to heal the scars. After a few futile minutes, I was getting frustrated by the lack of progress. The frustration turned into anger. My blood started o boil at the fact Shego had hurt Bonnie. My Bon Bon.

And she had the nerve to leave scars on Bonnie's beautiful body, as a reminder of my failures of a teacher. Not training the brunette adequately. Or making her armor strong enough to resist the glow. Or making Android Beta a better fighter to protect Bonnie!

I felt hatred now. Shego was going to pay.

The sound of Bonnie whimpering and saying my name caused me to look down at my hand. My aura had changed from a calm blue to a bubbling red and was somehow hurting Bonnie!

I retracted my hand and subdued my hatred. This was the second time today I let my anger get the best of me. I went back to try to heal Bonnie or least soothe the pain I caused. My aura was blue again. Good.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Ronnie?"

"It's me, Bon Bon."

She yelled my name this time as she hugged me. I hugged her back as she started rambling about how worried she was. She was starting to believe I wouldn't ever wake up.

I apologized for worrying her so much. I told her I wasn't going anywhere. My hand stayed on her faint scars, rubbing the area.

"I promise you, Bonnie, I will never let someone hurt you again," I told her, "And shego will pay for what she did to you. She won't get away with this.

"I know," was all she said, before kissing me.


	18. Chapter 18

**(Saturday Morning)**

It was 11:15 a.m. today and I had just finished Tara's first training session. Bonnie had recommended her since the brunette was being forced to spend quality time with her family today. Pity. We had much to discuss.

Bonnie had some fascinating notes for me to read. She had kept detailed and organized investigations on the pair of Yamanouchi ninjas, Yori and Hirotaka, since they had arrived at Middleton High School. They had attempted to infiltrate many of the social groups, which was easy for them since they were foreign. Yori had gained some type of rapport with Monique and Kim, while Hirotaka was interested in Hope, who was equally interested in the foreign boy.

I had to applaud her for having Beta monitor the cameras overnight and report anything suspicious to her. An excellent way for her to use resources at her disposal. That's how she found shadowy figures that had been stalking around the neighborhoods near where Kimberly and I lived.

Bonnie had deduced they were interested in me. While I knew this was the correct answer, there were flaws in her thinking. Her bias towards me was one of them. There was also the fact that all the groups and areas Yori and Hirotaka had shown interest in were associated with Kimberly also. Not just me. Something to point out to her.

She also had been monitoring people like Kimberly and Josh, mostly to see how far their martial arts training had progressed. Kimberly had given Josh her seal of approval for mission duty, which I disagreed with. The boy still needed a lot more physical training to keep up with more strenuous activities, such as mountain climbing.

Monique had surprisingly been on Bonnie's watch list too. The dark-skinned fashionista had taken an interest in our relationship, snooping around to find evidence to support her suspicions. She had even brokered a deal with Hope to dispel all the rumors about Bonnie and me, as long as Hope supplied information on high ranking food chain members. A deal too juicy for the Gossip Queen.

Bonnie had been undecided about whether to confront Hope on this subject. I would tell Bonnie to keep Hope doing this deal, while reminding the brunette to her oriental friend to keep quiet. And if Hope squeaked, I would know.

A test of loyalty for the olive-skinned cheerleader. I would also reinforce to Bonnie that she needed to take things in her own hand the majority of the time. She couldn't be indecisive if she wanted more responsibility.

She had kept eyes on Justine too. Nothing noteworthy there since I got all the information I needed from Beta's data core. Little progress had been done other than establishing friendly familiarity. I would still praise the brunette for taking up some responsibility at her own initiative and doing a fantastic job at it. That would brighten up her day.

The last thing I had read was Bonnie's reports on my current student, Tara. The blonde had previous martial arts training and had easily mastered what was taught to her in Bonnie's lessons. Bonnie had begrudgingly admitted that Tara would catch up with her soon and probably pass her.

Bonnie had also told me of her friend's excellent marksmanship. She had given me many accounts of Tara's excellent eyes. I was doubtful at first, but today's training displayed the truth of Bonnie's words. After some changes to her stances and showing her the correct way to throw different types of weapons, she was already better than me. Unless I used my powers, but I believed she would surpass me.

To say today's training went well would be an understatement. I had been bestowed a long-range fighter that didn't have the normal drawbacks of being weak in close combat. Tara wouldn't be great at CQC, she would at least be above average. I would have crackled evilly, but he didn't want to creep put the bubbly blonde.

Tara had just returned from taking a shower and sat beside me on my bed. She had changed into of my old red short-sleeved jersey, no pants. The shirt was long enough to almost reach her knees. I wondered why she chooses these clothes, but I had something more important that needed to be answered.

"Tara, why have you decided to join me?" I asked. I needed to know the reasons for her loyalty, if her answer was the truth. Did she just follow Bonnie to me as she did with The Regime?

She started mumbling nervously. All I could get out of the garbled nonsense was something about her liking me. I really hope she didn't come to my side because of a crush! Her loyalty would be flimsy at best.

"Tara, calm down and gather your thoughts. When you are ready, speak. I'm not going to listen to you ramble on and on."

She stopped her nervous behavior and started to take deep breaths. Then she started to hype herself up, harshly whispering that she could do it.

No. That was definitely Hisako creating the hype, with those sparkling blue eyes. I didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed. A chibi version of Hisako in Middleton High's cheerleading outfit sitting on Tara's shoulder, doing all practiced cheers appeared in my mind. Amused it was.

"For a long time, I struggled for what my feelings for you and what they truly were," she said, "After Gill, I thought it was just a major crush from being saved. I saw you as my knight in shining armor for a long time. I was too afraid to approach you about how I felt."

"Then there was the fact I didn't catch the not so subtle hint of you kissing me and the actual subtle flirting you did with me for a few weeks afterward," I said, "And there was also Kimberly being overprotective."

"You knew about that?"

I nodded. "If there is one thing Kim can't do is be subtle about anything. You should see her on missions, always loudly announcing her presence."

"I can totally see her doing that," Tara said.

I told her to answer my question before we got sidetracked. I needed her answer.

"Because I love you, Ron. And I have to support you. What kind of woman doesn't support the man she loves?"

That answer is not what I expected. I had to wonder if Hisako was doing some weird mind-altering things while she was inside the blonde's head.

"And what if I do unquestionably inhumane acts of evil? What then?" I asked, "Will you stick by my side afterward?"

"Yes because I know you will only do these things to prepare the world against a greater evil. And those acts will hurt you, no matter how much you try to hide it. You're a gentle person at heart, Ron."

Gentle? I laughed humorlessly. She did not know of the countless deaths by my hand, directly or indirectly. The amount of people I tortured for The Regime. The children I made into orphans. The spouses I made into widows. The parents forced to attend their children's funerals.

All because my beloved Supreme One had ordered me to. For a better world. An Earth with no conflicts! And it was all worth it, for the few years of peace we had. No worry about nations poking and prodding each other's defense before blowing up into another war, to lose millions of people. Soldiers and civilians on both sides. The war the Regime had waged was the war to end all wars between humans! And it did.

I had to snort at the thought of Tara mention a greater evil. What did she know of the Lowardians?

My fellow blonde was staring at me, understanding in her eyes. Like she knew the reason for my laughter. Like she could hear the monologue in my head. She knew nothing!

"Speak, Tara," I ordered her, "Tell me what you could possibly know about needs to be done."

"Hisako has shown me glimpses of the future, where Earth has been rampaged by wat. A war not between nations or humans, but humans against towering humanoid green beings," Tara said, "And I saw it through your eyes."

She explained to me how she saw how I lead humanity under one banner against the Lowardians. She paled more and more after each battle she saw and what I had lost. I felt myself starting to tremble after each description, trying to hold in, but I couldn't. She saw men I lead, Bonnie die, and even herself die. She could feel the guilt and hatred I towards myself for being too weak to save them.

What the fuck? Why did that damnable woman show this teenage girl my memories? I would definitely have to keep her away from any of my other allies. She was going too far in her ways of attempting to help me.

"How do you know it wasn't just a fabrication?" I asked, between heavy breaths. When did it become hard to breathe?

"By your reaction, I can tell Hisako showed you the same things, probably even more clearly than she showed me. And now you are preparing for this, doing whatever you have to do to save humanity," she said, "Even at the cost of your humanity and soul. You are willing to become nothing less than an unfeeling war machine. And that scares me."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "I know I can't stop you from doing what you need to do, but I don't want you to become as cold as you were in those visions. I want to help you still be able to feel emotions. To still be human."

She enveloped me in a hug, as I felt myself start to shake. Why couldn't I control myself? Every day when faced with the past, my control would slip increasingly. She hugged tighter, trying to calm me down.

My breathing steadied as she rubbed my back. After a minute or two, I pulled back from the hug. Tara was smiling at me, before leaning in for a kiss. I kissed her back, enjoying the taste of her. Sweet, like vanilla. Hopefully, I didn't do anything I would regret later.

* * *

**(Later That Day)**

I was proud of myself. Even with my hormonal teenage body and overflow of testosterone, I was able to keep it in my pants. Even with a bombshell blonde underneath me, clad only in my shirt, a bra, and a pair of panties! A sight that was a dream for many men.

After blue balling myself for like the fourth time and the right reason, I went downstairs to prepare some food. Tara had helped somewhat and brewed some tea. Her batch was much better than the ones I made.

She told me Hisako had shown her the proper way to brew tea. Tara told me she was going to buy a tea brewing set soon so she could prepare tea to help me relax form all the continuous work I would be doing.

Tara claimed her role would help me relax while Bonnie will help with the workload. She would also make sure neither one of us would overload ourselves and we relax properly. A caretaker kind of role.

The only person to have doted on me so… lovingly has been my mother. It was strange to have someone else other than her willingness to take care of me to this extent. Sure, the Tara of my timeline checked up on me regularly, but not on the level this Tara was proclaiming she was going to do. I had to make sure my fellow blonde knew her actions were appreciated. Unlike what I did in the past, blowing her off every time.

After I drove Tara home, like the gentleman my mother raised me to be, I came back home and went to the attic. I had some tools here to work on fixing Android Beta. Bonnie and Tara had become attached to the machine, wondering how long it would take for to me repair him. I told them probably between two weeks to a month, depending on how busy I was. They were just happy it could be repaired.

I went through about ten drafts on how to make his skeletal system immune to Shego's Glow. I could not think of one way to do that. Her combination of claws and comet power could only be stopped by my Ki. The savage power behind it was unstoppable, just like The Supreme One's more refined and superior version.

I wonder what The Supreme One would think of my vindictive feelings toward her short-sighted younger self? With her superior wisdom, she would tell me that retribution was necessary. But not for the petty vengeance I harbored in my heart, but to show Shego and others that my organization and I were not to be trifled with. Everyone, from allies to enemies, must know I did not take any attack against me lightly.

The Supreme would applaud me for what I had done to Will Du and those other Global Justice agents. Taking out that many elite agents of the world police, and so brutally at that, would make Betty Director from taking any type of light action against me. Anything she would do, she would use a large amount of force. Something I could detect before the attack happened.

Plus, Betty would not allow Kimberly or Wade to investigate me. Deeming me too dangerous for underage and undertrained freelancers. And this would drive a wedge between future teacher and student. Kimberly couldn't take not being allowed to take down a villain, especially one as dangerous as me. Betty would have to use a severe threat to stop her protégé from being reckless, such as taking down Kimberly's website, permanently.

Yes, The Supreme one would be very pleased with these results.

With newfound excitement, I continued working on my projects. The thought of The Supreme One looking down at me with filled in her eyes as I bent down to one knee in servitude, something I craved to see once again, gave me new energy. I was going to finish at least three more drafts before I slept again! These ones would be upgrading its weapon systems.

I let out a loud yawn, that Rufus mimicked. I looked up the time. It was midnight. Didn't Tara tell me to go to bed by now? What she didn't know won' hurt her. I still had so much work to complete!

* * *

**(Sunday Afternoon)**

I sat in my room attending to the wounds I self-inflicted on my fist. There numerous scabs near the knuckles from all the cuts and speed up healing.

While I had been testing the new heights of my power, I made the mistake of doing it in my battle suit. The first time I tested a punch at one hundred percent, I broke the gauntlets from the impact. They shattered into fragments into my fingers, palms, and between my knuckles. Some even got passed my wrist.

Having to flay a helicopter back to Middleton while one-handed pulsed in pain was a big drag I wish I didn't have to deal with. Maybe training in the far-off mountains with no nearby support was not a good idea. At least the tiny helicopter, the Mosquito XET could fly over one hundred miles per hour. I got to Middleton in about twenty minutes.

Next time, I would bring a better medical kit. No! I would modify the Mosquito or some other helicopters I knew Jack had with a state are of the medical station. That would be better. Maybe I'll add an autopilot system to it too! Can't be overprepared.

Now I just need my hand to heal up. I probably needed to meditate more. My parents would see these bandages and start questioning me. Again. I wasn't mentally ready for round two of interrogation with my parents. The only people who could make me tell them whatever they wanted to know. Besides The Supreme One, of course.

Father and Mother had found me knocked out on the couch with my drafts for the improved Android Beta on the table. And other things. Luckily, everything else was related to future inventions and not my plans. Still, how could I be so careless? I would never leave such sensitive information around, unless I was at home!

Home. That's right. I was technically at home and that had to be the reason I felt so comfortable with leaving my stuff around. Granted, this home wasn't as secure as the one I had in The Regime.

My parents had looked over my drafts, I couldn't stop them when I woke up because I had to fight my instincts to fight intruders at first. Which gave them the time to grab some papers and read. They were impressed with my knowledge of machinery, electronics, computers, and robotics. They had said they always knew I was extremely intelligent, but also extremely lazy and had no drive. That was true about the high school version of me.

They were so interested to see me taking a vested interest in something academic, especially an area where both my creativity and intelligence would be challenged. And now they had felt like all those attempts to push me into academics, the numerous camps and private tutelage, had finally paid off.

The next hour was filled with hugs and my overenthusiastic parents thinking of ways to cultivate my new passion for science. They did not want this chance for my greatness to shine to slip through their fingers. They couldn't and wouldn't let me fall back into my old terrible habits. But they would not impose their will on me and just make all the decisions themselves. They would ask for my input, for once.

That was something they never did before. When I had asked why, they said they were doing this because I had chosen of my own volition to improve. It had shown I was maturing and they wanted to show recognition of my growth, allowing me to make some choices form now on about my future.

I had seen how proud of me they were from the looks they gave me. It reminded me of how The Supreme One would look at me after a successfully completed difficult mission when we first started our conquest of the world.

But there was more than just pride. It seemed to be adoration and love, but deeper. Deeper than anything I ever felt. My heart had been beating faster and I could feel tears trying to escape. No! I couldn't be so weak.

One final hug later and them telling me how proud of me they were and how much they loved me caused me to finally cry. Not in pain, but happiness. I couldn't even remember the last time I shed tears of joy, it had been so long. I held my parents tight for the next few minutes. We three hadn't had a moment like this since… since before Fiske had murdered my family at my college graduation.

I had bottled up the anger and hate that was rising. I would not let those feelings ruin such a precious moment for me! I could dwell on those feelings alter when I saw that man again.

After breaking up the hug, my parents had told me I needed to get ready for Temple. I had gone up to my room and got dressed. Rufus was sleeping in his cage, when he got there last night, I do not know. I had left some cheese for him to eat when he woke up.

Temple had been fairly uneventful, other than my little cousin Shaun trying to act up. I've recently been in charge of watching him since I could easily control the little demon spawn and his equally malicious iguana. A few little "play" fights and my cousin knew I wasn't the same one he used to pick on.

His innate terrible demeanor and behavior had made him into a useful pawn in The Regime, being a terror on and off the battlefield. Now I just had to carefully cultivate him where he was just as dangerous, but far less destructive. I was going for minimal casualties this time. And I need to keep a tight leash on him.

The only unfortunate thing to happen was Mrs. Rockwaller mentioning my car to my mother. Mother had played it off like she already knew about it, but I knew she wanted to talk later. And that she did, with Father by her side.

I had to regretfully lie about it being an award from one of my missions with Kimberly. I did have documentation of the supposed rich man buying and donating the car for me in my room. All forgeries, of course. My parents accepted the story, but then asked if Kimberly knew, since she refused to accept rewards. She gladly accepted all the recognition she got though.

When I told them no, they said I had to tell her and they will be asking her soon. Probably Wednesday night, after they returned from their business trip.

I would tell the redhead Monday morning. My head was already feeling the pain from the future lecture. At least this way, I could drive around with no suspicion. And I needed Jack to finish Star Forge Labs way before the original date, so I could be an "intern" there. Just have to convince my parents, which should not be too hard.

I heard my Omni Tool beep, letting me know I had been messaged. And it went off again, before I could open the first message.

One message was from Bonnie, telling me everything our mothers spoke about. The rolls were reversed for once. Mother did all the talking, while Bonnie's mother just listened for once.

The other message was from Tara. She was very upset with me because I didn't go to sleep on time. She had found this out from Bonnie, who had overheard it from our mother's conversation about what state Mother found me in.

When I responded and explained myself, she immediately called me. She was trying to make me feel like a small child. I did not have a designated bedtime! I was a grown-ass man!

"I know you don't like the idea, but you can't be overworking yourself. When you spend time with me that's not training, you're supposed to be relaxing, Ronnie," she said softly, "Can you please do that for me?"

I sighed. "I'll try, but no promises Tara."

"That's fine. Just relax with me and do all your work with Bonnie. Share the workload with her, so she feels useful while she's recovering. You know she's kind of down because she can't train or fight, right?"

"I gave her more access to my network as a reward for what's she done already for me. That has taken a load off me already."

Tara let out an exasperated sigh. "You know she wants you to spend time with her."

Of course, I knew that. I'm not the dense fool like I used to be.

"I'm not saying you won't," she said, before I could interrupt, "Just reminding to make sure you spend time personally with her, not just checking in like a supervisor."

"Why do you think I would do that?" I asked.

"Hisako told me. Something about bad habitats."

I winced. I remembered doing that when my subordinates were too injured to do their regular task. Especially with my protégé, it had caused a right between us that was hard to fix. Not going through something like that again.

"You shouldn't listen to everything she says. She doesn't always know what she's talking about."

"That may be true, but I know she's right about this," Tara replied, "Remember I do know your previous study habits. I've been taking classes with you since middle school."

"Don't worry Tara, I'll see her today."

She thanked me before we both hung up. Time to go see Bon Bon.

* * *

**(Rockwaller Residence)**

"You've been a naughty girl, Bon Bon," the higher-pitched voice of Lonnie said.

I was in my room, hiding my face in a pillow. My face was bright red in embarrassment. How could you be so stupid and forget to lock the door? At least it wasn't my mother who found me doing "that." I shuddered at the thought of her reaction.

"Must be a real hottie if he has gotten you to do this twice." That was Connie.

"Oh Sis, you know it has been more than twice by now," Lonnie said, "Hopefully this one has some sort of brain, unlike the last one."

"He's way smarter than any of those nerds you two seduce to get to do your homework," I said only raising my head a little so my voice wasn't muffled.

My sisters started laughing, saying it was _so cute_ that I was defending my boyfriend.

"He's not my boyfriend!" I yelled at them, before going to a low whisper, "We're just friends."

More laughing from the twin harpies. "Just friends? Guess you got nothing to offer!"

"Because I got all the beauty," Lonnie started that damn catchphrase of theirs.

"And I got all the brains!" Connie finished, as they both cackled like the evil witches they were. I really hated them sometimes.

"Bonnie!" I heard my mother yell from downstairs, "Ron's here to see you. I'm sending him upstairs."

Ron's here? Oh God, I'm totally not presentable right now. I yelled at my sisters to get out of my room so I could change. All I had on was one of Ron's shirts he had left when we used to train in my backyard and some questionably short pair of shorts. Nothing really impressive.

I looked to see knowing smirks on my sisters' faces as they eyed my clothing. Especially my shirt.

"Hey Lonnie, doesn't that shirt look familiar?" Connie asked, "It looks like one of the shirts Ron has recently been wearing."

"Now that you mention it, it does look strikingly similar."

"Out of my room!" I yelled, pushing the two out. I might have used some of my powers to move them. Just slightly levitating them off their feet for a second before they noticed. Nothing serious.

They bumped into Ronnie, who was right outside my room for who knows how long. The pair started to speak to him about how their favorite Rugrat was finally growing up and joining the family. Rugrat was he no more, now he was Ron Ron!

Ron just stood there while they talked, all confused and cute. He eventually got irritated with their endless talking. He only showed it for less than a second. No one else could see but me. And maybe Tara. She recently gained a lot of insight on him form that spirit. Freaking cheater!

He calmly said to them it was nice to see them again, but he had something important to talk to me about. He excused himself, walked into my room, and closed the door behind him. Then locked it for good measure.

He sat beside me on my bed and wrapped one arm around my waist. He pulled me close to him, causing my head to rest in his muscular chest.

What was up with him? He usually didn't show physical affection unless he's in a really good mood. Or that _type_ of mood. I didn't question him, instead, I just snuggled closer.

He asked me how I was doing, how my recovery was going and other questions about my well-being. Just doing me. I don't know what caused this change of attitude, but I liked it. I wasn't even trying to gain his attention and here he was giving it freely!

Once I answered his questions and gave my reports, he started to show me a bunch of his future plans and inventions. I'll admit I didn't understand everything nor was I paying that much attention. I had suddenly got sleepy while trying to steal all of Ronnie's warmth. I was so just comfortable and relaxed for once.

Ron had noticed me nodding off and asked should he leave so I could rest. I asked him if he could stay and I just use him as a pillow for a while. He reclined down into my bed and I put my head on his chest as I lied on my side. I heard him say something about leaving around ten, but I was too far gone into the blissful darkness by then.


	19. Chapter 19

**(Monday Morning)**

It was around six in the morning when I got ready to leave the house. Normally, I wouldn't leave until thirty minutes later, but I had something to do. Kimberly had called me last night after I left Bonnie's house. She had asked me to walk to school with her and Monique. I had asked why Josh couldn't do it instead. Apparently, he had fallen ill. Tragic.

While Kimberly could definitely walk by herself during the dimly lit morning and protect herself and her friend., her overprotective father wasn't going to let her do that. That's where I came in, a male protector to walk his precious Kimmie-Cub. When was the man going to realize his daughter was his daughter was one of the most physically dangerous females in the world. Probably never.

Today, I felt like being casual. I had on khaki cargo pants, a less loose pair than my old ones, a short sleeve black tee, and a simple pair of black tennis shoes. The short sleeves showed off my biceps and I knew Bonnie would have to use all of her self-control to stop herself from rubbing on them. I imagined myself walking down the halls of school with her hanging off my arms. I let out a chuckle at everyone's shocked faces I imagined. Especially Kimberly's. That one never got old.

I plucked the still sleeping Rufus out of his cage and placed in him in my pocket. I took two pills of ibuprofen to relieve my headache. I went into the garage and got in my car. After starting the engine and leaving the garage, I went next door to pick the redhead harpy that would enter my vehicle soon.

I messaged Kimberly, telling her I was outside waiting. She asked why I didn't knock. I responded with my previous message, ignoring her question. Just to irk her a little.

I saw her come outside, confused I wasn't at the front door. I rolled down my tinted windows when her attention snapped to my var. Not every day a luxurious all-black sedan was parked outside your house. Especially in a mostly middle-class town like Middleton.

"KP, get in!" I yelled, taking some satisfaction in her widening eyes.

She hurried to my car and jumped into the passenger seat. She glowered a suspicious glare at me. "Nice car. When did you get it?"

"A couple of weeks ago."

"How?"

"Earned it."

Kimberly growled at me. "Stop being so vague, Ron!"

"The answers are in the glove compartment," I told her, as I drove away. Next stop, Monique's.

I heard Kimberly flipping through the pages furiously, probably rereading them over and over. I would glance at her to see how mad she was, but she already doubted my driving abilities.

"Ronald Stoppable! What is this?" My full name. She was mad. She was outraged.

"It's obviously all the paperwork needed to show how I legally own this vehicle, Kimberly Anne Possible." I wanted her to ask Wade to verify this. I had covered my tracks well. The philanthropist would verify the truth. He had just needed a limited-edition Battle Creature plushie for his son. What's with rich people and their obsession with stuffed animals and creatures?

"We don't take rewards for our missions!" She yelled while shaking the bundle of papers.

"No, you don't. I never agreed to that."

A snarl came out of her mouth. "Heroes don't accept rewards, Ronald."

"Still wrong Kimberly. I'm a sidekick, not a hero. My rules are much more flexible than yours. Plus, that's my official position, according to your website."

She went silent before huffing and facing the other way. The rest of the drive to Monique's house was silent.

When I pulled up to the dark-skinned girl's house, Kimberly called Monique. She told the fashionista what type of car I drove.

I saw Monique come out of the house, giving my car an appreciative glance. She always knew when she saw something good.

"Nice car Ron," she said as she entered the backseat, "How did you snag it?"

"He got it as a reward from a mission," Kimberly answered, "Something heroes don't do."

"Sidekick here, those rules don't apply."

"You're my partner, an equal, so you can't be a sidekick."

"Nope. I'm a subordinate. Even says it on the website."

"What's going on here?" a confused Monique asked.

"I'm just reminding Kimberly here about how the team dynamics of Team Possible," I answer, "I'm subordinate field agent. Wade Load is our tech support. Rufus in the infiltration and sabotage specialist. Kimberly is the team leader, hence the name Team Possible."

"Kimberly gives all the orders based on Wades' information. Rufus and I follow those orders, only going against them if someone's life is in danger or the plan is deemed too reckless. These simple terms allow us to successfully complete our missions on a regular basis."

When I came to a red light, I saw Kimberly upset. "KP, you have to get used to this. You want to join Global Justice, a uniformed paramilitary organization. This is just a taste of how they work. Things get a lot more complicated, with orders being more rigid and more responsibility placed on each role." I told her, "Think of this as practice. Just do your best now and you can conform to Global Justice a lot easier when you get in. Cause I'm sure Betty is watching every mission."

"When did you get so smart, Ron?" Monique asked, playfully. Or maybe she was trying to diffuse the ticking bomb in the passenger seat.

I grinned. "The Ron Man has always been like this! Just never flexed my brain muscles until recently."

Kimberly seemed to calm down somewhat from our exchange. "You could explain that without making me sound like I'm micromanaging everyone and trying to hog the spotlight all the time."

"Sure thing."

I kept my attention to the roads afterward. My intelligence still surprised everyone, even after multiple showcases of it. Wonder when that was going to wear off.

The two females chatted on and on about the group project. I mentally groaned at the mention of it. My group was a cluster fuck of a ticking time bomb. I had Kimberly and Bonnie together. For fuck's sake, why did Barkin allow this to happen?

At least both of the girls had the proper restraints with them. Tara and Hope for Bonnie. Monique and Josh for Kimberly. Well, no Josh for the next couple of days. So Monique will have her hands full. I wasn't going to help. I would only make things worse. Intentionally at that.

I would spend most of my time with Justine. Working on bringing her to my side. That was going to be the only thing to keep me going during that time. I was going to have a terrible headache after that class each day.

I spotted Justine walking as I was driving. I pointed her out to Kimberly and told the redhead to ask if the blonde wanted me to pick her up. The stubborn fool had the audacity to ask me why I just don't do it.

"Monique, what would you do if an all-black car with tinted windows pulled up to you and you heard a man's voice asking if you want a ride?" I asked.

"Run before he even got the chance to ask."

That got Kimberly to agree with what I proposed. She rolled down the window and grabbed the blonde's attention. I came to a stop to let the girl in.

"Thank you for picking me up, Ronald," Justine said, after she buckled in.

"No Problem, Justine. Anything for a friend."

The blonde girl complimented and I gave her my thanks. I glanced in the rearview mirror to see Justine giving me an inquisitive stare, one that Kimberly noticed as well. And she a big shit-eating grin on her face. Oh no.

"He got it from his Sugar Daddy," Kim answered. She let out a small giggle, while Monique had full-blown out laughter.

I had to stop myself from myself from slamming down on the brakes. I settled for snarling at my supposed friend.

"Careful Kim. Don't anger the Mad Dog, he might bite!" Monique struggled to say between laughs.

"What is a sugar daddy? And why is that so funny?"

I forgot how sheltered Justine was. Luckily for me, I had just arrived in the school parking lot, saving me from further embarrassment. As I parked my vehicle, another parked right beside me. A red convertible, the telltale sign of Bonnie and her crew.

Everyone exited their respective vehicle at the same time. Kimberly and Monique were still laughing, leaving the confused Justine to try to figure out what was so funny.

Bonnie took one look at my scowling face and the laughs of Kimberly and Monique. I saw her about to start something with her rival, but I got in her field of vision to stop her. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently. I didn't worry about Kimberly and Monique seeing me because my back was in the way. Of course, I didn't care if Tara and Hope saw it. Justine was going to know sooner or later.

Bonnie calmed down and whispered that she still wanted to talk about what happened later. I surprisingly agreed, even though I knew more embarrassment was to come. I walked inside the school with Bonnie, Tara, and a glaring Hope behind me. Kimberly, Monique, and Justine were in front. One fight averted.

Kimberly was giving me a suspicious look as everyone walked in. Great. Why did every time I talked to Bonnie had to get her nosey again? She always started to freak out when I took notice of other people during high school. Especially females. I remembered the Zita and Yori incidents.

Everyone was still in two separate groups when we reached our destination, the library. This is where everyone agreed to meet to discuss the project for Barkin's class. A neutral ground.

We all sat one large round table. In clockwise rotation, there was me, Bonnie, Justine, Monique, an empty seat for Josh, Kimberly, and finally Tara. Kimberly seemed a little miffed that she couldn't sit beside me.

The two groups formed into one as everyone started to bounce ideas off one another. Which of course led to Bonnie and Kimberly childishly invalidating one another's ideas. That leads to various insults being thrown around. My head was already starting to hurt again. I thought I had dealt with this earlier this morning?

The yelling was decreased to harsh whispers when the librarian passed by. Neither wanted to incur his wrath, for he was an ancient man with a nasty attitude and equally nasty breath. His tongue was far sharper than the ones the present alpha females wielded.

Minutes later, the two still hadn't ceased their arguing. Not only were they holding up progress, but they were making my headache worse. I had to put a stop to this.

"Quiet, both of you," I said. My voice was barely audible, like the rustling of the wind, but the tone was biting like colds of the winter. A trick I picked up from Yamanouchi. Used to unnerve a lot of my foes during the Regime's Conquest of Earth. The Supreme One loved it too.

I looked at the two females. Kimberly had this bizarre freaked out expression on her face that made me want to smirk. But Bonnie's hurt expression made me feel guilty about using The Voice of Death on her. I would apologize to her soon. Very Soon.

Everyone else was were pale. Hope was the worst, while Tara looked the best, with Justine in the middle. I needed to apologize to everyone. So many sorries and only three would be genuine.

"Ron…" my red-headed partner's voice was shrill, only to be stopped by Monique.

My head had exploded in pain, as images of the dead flashed through my mind. No! Not here!

I could hear faintly hear the chattering of Tara. She was saying something about giving me some space. Kimberly was yelling something about not leaving my side. I had to focus to make out the words. So painful.

"Kim, I think your yelling is making it worse," Monique said.

"I'm not leaving him!" She was still yelling, although her volume had lowered.

I felt someone start to rub my back. Feeling the prickling of ki, I knew it was Bonnie. After a few seconds, she her chair scooted beside me.

Her hand went to my head, rubbing my scalp soothingly. I instinctively leaned into her shoulder and closed my eyes. I normally didn't do this in public, but I might not last the rest of the day if I didn't.

Minutes later, Tara had retuned and placed a hot cup in my hands. It was tea, not coffee. She told me to take it to relax and I did so. It was perfectly sweetened.

* * *

**(End of the Classes: Middleton High)**

I had canceled cheerleading practice today. I needed to check up on Ron. He has been avoiding me all day since the library incident. I had Wade track him during lunch, but every time I got near him, he moved. Like he knew I was coming. And I had to miss lunch.

The only times I could possibly get near him was during the classes we took together. Which had been very rare since Ron changed his schedule during the beginning of the school year. Which just had happened to match mostly with Bonnie's.

Speaking of the Queen Bee, anytime I got near Ron she would appear, with her lackey Tara. Those two had been acting like his professional bodyguards all day, flanking his sides at all times.

Tara made some sense to me. She still had that enormous crush on Ron. But, Bonnie didn't.

Sure, she and Ron had been on a date before, but it was one date! Or had they been on more? It didn't matter, even if they kissed, she didn't have a reason to be acting like this!

Being the literal shoulder he leans on for comfort. With her rubbing his back and head so Ron could calm down. Why did my childhood friend turn to her for comfort? Why did he trust her so much?

I knew I should have set up Monique and Ron together months ago! I had been gifted two tickets to some world wrestling event randomly that happened in New York City. It included a three-day stay at a five-star hotel in New York City.

The two nacho eating, wrestling fanatic goofballs would have definitely hit it off during that time. Mon would have shaped Ron into a better version of himself, something like he is now. Just not as cold and demeaning. Ron would have been so happy and he would be loyal to her, doing almost anything for Monique. He would he even go to fashions shows with her, albeit bored out of mind, but he would do it because he cared for her. And I would know my best friend was with someone I could trust to treat him right and respectfully.

But I had to be stupid and lose the damn tickets! Now Ron is in some strange relationship with Bonnie. It hadn't slipped past me that the two were hanging out a lot, usually at his or her house. Or even somewhere in Middleton, I couldn't find. I had tracked him once and his signal was all over the city, somehow. Wade said he was getting a lot of interference from the satellites and guessed it was a onetime thing. It still bothered me because he could track Ron in the middle of the Amazon.

I didn't know what those two were doing, but I couldn't trust Bonnie. I trusted Ron not to spill secrets, but I could see her influence on him. How coldly he looked at people he believed that were beneath him. How far he went to beat those D-hall bullies, for them to forever remember what happened and not think it was a stroke of luck.

I didn't mind Ron defending himself. It was how brutal the beating they were given. He didn't need to break arms, wrists, and knock out teeth to prove a point, did he?

When I had confronted him on it, he had said that what he did was give them a wakeup call. The bottom feeders, his words, not mine, were heading down the path of being criminals. A beating now was much nicer than anything they would face during a prison sentence. Especially any fun their cell mates would want to have with them.

The conversation died at that point. It still rattled me to this day how Ron had just spoken about something so… despicable so casually. And laughed about it.

The darker changes in his personality scared me. At first, I had pinned everything on Bonnie. But after witnessing whatever the hell that was in the library, I couldn't place all of the blame on her anymore. Something traumatic had happened to Ron and that's why he has changed.

But why didn't I know anything about it? Why did Bonnie and Tara seemingly know how to deal with his problem? Why did they even know? Why didn't he tell me about it? Why didn't he confide in me anymore?

Ron was changing so rapidly and I couldn't keep up. It was scaring me and I felt like I was going to lose my best friend.

Is this how he felt during the first year of middle school? When did I start to stand up for myself against the bullies and getting top grades at school? How I was being praised by everyone now for how great I was and how well I was going to do in the future? He did say he didn't know me anymore. But I was kind of ignoring him at the time.

There were changes for the better though, ones I was grateful for. Like his better grades, physical fitness, and fighting abilities. He was now a much better partner and one Josh could learn a lot from, if my boyfriend stayed with the program. Ron had so much experience he could pass on to Josh and maybe they could be actual friends. I was glad when Ron wasn't hostile anymore towards Josh.

The bad changes were bothering me. And how Bonnie and her influence was encouraging the growth of those changes. With all the time the two were spending together, I was starting to believe they were dating. That could be a real possibility after what I saw today.

"Hey Mon."

"Yes, girl?"

"Do you think Ron and Bonnie are secretly dating?" I asked, staring at her intently.

She flinched. The first sign she knew something. "Why would you think that?"

Avoid answering the question. Second sign. I narrowed my eyes and Monique shrank into herself. Third sign.

"Mon, you're the gossip queen of Middleton High," I said, a hard edge to my voice, "You know something!"

Monique's efforts to rest was commendable, but in vain. Only my mom was immune to the Puppy Doug Pout. And Ron, when he's having a bad day. Which has been a lot lately.

She told me of this strange deal she had made with Hope. Monique would dispel all rumors of Ron and Bonnie dating. In return, Hope would give Monique everyone's deepest darkest secrets. I see why Monique couldn't resist the temptation of Hope's offer. Hope, the overlooked lackey of our resident Queen Bee. She was the key to something. I could feel it.

I thanked Monique and went to search for my target. Better idea. I'll call her! I quickly went through my contact list to find her number. I was the cheerleading captain, so I had all of the teammates' numbers.

"Kim?" she answered. I could tell she was confused as to why I was calling her out of the blue.

"Hey, Hope. I was wondering if I could talk to you," I said.

"That would be great!" Why did she sound so excited? We never had been friends, but were never enemies. She was a tag-along to Bonnie to me all this time.

"Hope, who's that?" I heard Bonnie ask, more like yell.

"Nobody," Hope answers. I bet Bonnie didn't like her so-called friends talking to people she didn't deem worthy. Like she did with Tara after Camp Wannaweep. But I also had a hand in that, being a tad overprotective. Anything Bonnie related trying to worm itself into the hearts of my family and friends set me off.

"It's going to be a private conversation," I tell her, "Face to face, with no one to bother us."

I heard some shouts of Bonnie's name and Bonnie demanding the phone. "I'll text you later."

Hope hung up. That was strange. Why was Bonnie trying to take Hope's phone? I didn't think she was that controlling!

Whatever. Hope said she would text me later. I need to check up on my sick boyfriend anyway. And then Ron later, if he let me.

* * *

**(Later that Day: Stoppable Household)**

It was near midnight when I returned home. I had spent most of the afternoon hiding from Kimberly. She finally gave up when I had gone to Bonnie's house, after the brunette finished hanging with her friends. Kimberly was probably to ask for an updated tracker because of my behavior today.

And then there was the little episode I had. I normally could keep them under control or they happened during the times I was alone. This one just had to be when Kimberly's and Bonnie's arguing was grating on my nerves.

Luckily, Tara took care of the situation, probably from Hisako. Wither her guidance, Bonnie was kept by my side while Kimberly and the other two females were pushed away. Kimberly was already snooping, now she was going to demand I talk about it.

I had sent her a message, saying I would talk about it when I was ready, before I left school. Which would be never. At least it stopped her from excessively calling and texting me.

I opened my Omni Tool to see her last message. It was about ten minutes ago, asking if I was still at Bonnie's house. I told her where I was at the time, even though I knew she knew I was already there.

I replied, telling her I was home. I felt like being petty and ignoring her, but I didn't want to start a man hut at this time of night. Not worth the consequences.

She sent another message, asking if I had fun. I answered yes, as she began probing.

After five minutes of messaging back and forth, she finally asked the big question. The one that I knew has been on her mind these last couple of weeks since that fateful day. My relationship with Bonnie.

I had an evil smirk on my face. "It's complicated."

The resulting chain of texts caused me to laugh, causing enough ruckus to wake up Rufus. The rodent gave me a questioning glance, before going back to sleep.

After my laughter died down, I told Kimberly that I was heading to bed, ignoring all her other messages. I then looked over the messages I had intercepted. Bonnie had helped me make the perfect replies. Tomorrow was going to be a good day.

* * *

**(Middleton High: Next Morning)**

Today was the day. The day I finally got my two best friends back and away from that freak. The bastard thinks he's so damn smart! Ha! I finally outsmarted him.

Kim had agreed to meet me earlier than everyone else in the group at the gymnasium at six-thirty. It was easy convincing Bonnie and Tara that they didn't need to pick me up. They both were probably trying to sneak in some quality time with Ron anyway. Especially after yesterday. Another reason to talk to Kim.

I walked into the gymnasium, our designated meeting point. It was a strange place to meet. And the fact she wanted me to bring my cheerleading outfit.

I saw Kim in the middle of the gym, beginning her stretches. I greeted her with an enthusiastic smile, running up to her.

She responded with the same fervor. "This was a great idea, Hope! It's been bothering me since yesterday."

"Me too!" Did she finally notice how weird he has become? This will be easier than I thought!

"Alright, go get changed. I got Ron as our spotter for today, since it was such short notice."

"KP is super stoked about your idea," I heard his voice from behind, "I've got to thank you for putting some pep in her step. She's been kind of down since Josh got sick. Not enough cuddle time I guess."

What was going on? What was Kim talking about and why was he here?

I turned around to see Ron with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. I turned back around to see Kim had already gone into the locker room.

Ron's hand landed on my shoulder and jerked me back around to face him. My body shuddered from his touch and the dangerous situation I was in. All alone with this evil blonde.

My breathing became labored as he moved in closer, his head by my ears. "You should know I'm always watching Hope. Be a good girl and don't misbehave again. I'll be light with the punishment once only."

He spun me back around, gave me a smack to my backside, and pushed me towards the locker room.

I walked forward subconsciously, too busy fighting with so many emotions. Fear for being alone with him. Anger at him for having the audacity to touch me there. Shame and repulsion at myself for not retaliating. But what could I do? He was so much more powerful than me and could pull someone's strings to get me to disappear.

As I walked into the locker room, I almost thought of backing out on Kim, but the shining smile she gave stopped me. It was like getting a beam of happiness fired at me. I almost forgot about what just happened. Was this what the people saw when she rescued them? If so, maybe there was still hope…

* * *

**(2100 Hours: Unknown Location)**

"Are you ready?" I asked my partner. Both of us were cladded in matching battle armor suits. My suit was missing the gauntlets and was black, while her armor a dark purple.

"You're doubting me now?" I could tell she a smirk on face, hidden behind the helmet.

"Never." I jumped out of the Mach Eagle, with her right behind me.

She deployed her parachute at the right time and landed perfectly. Those drills were instilled in her. I nodded at her to take the lead.

She opened her Omni Tool to pull up a map of the area. I followed her as we went to our destination. We were in the plains, approaching a mountain.

Once we were near the hidden entrance, Bonnie's ki flared. She made a show of her power, itching to fight.

Intercepted messages of approaching intrudes went through my visor. Maybe they recognized Bonnie from the raid. The Worldwide Evil Empire never paid attention to anything other than Global Justice. Fools.

The hologram they used to hide their entrance became distorted as men suddenly ran out the side of the mountain. A surprise tactic that would have worked on others, but not us.

Bonnie used her powers to lift the small boulders that littered the nearby area. She hurled at them at rapid speeds at the WEE minions. Most fell, too slow to dodge the attack. They were unconscious or withering in pain from broken bones. The few that dodged were dispatched by a large wave of telekinetic energy. They were slammed into the wall.

Bonnie's power had increased almost as much as mine after I woke up. I still hadn't found the reason why. Did it have to do with her fight with Shego?

The hologram flickered on and off for a few seconds before it fully turned off. One of the grunts Bonnie flung must have hit the projector.

The bunker opened again with twice as many men. I had to snort. Did they think increasing their numbers with the same quality men would defeat Bonnie? My Bonnie? I had to chuckle at their stupidity.

Bonnie must have expected a better challenge as she lazily flicked her wrist, launching boulders their way. The boulders went way over our foes' head and Bonnie caught them mid-flight, forcing them downwards.

In that small opening, barely any of them could avoid the rain of rocks. Bonnie used one of the larger boulders as a pinball to finish off the last of the opposition, the boulder bouncing off from target to target.

Bonnie cleared our pathway of the garbage. I told her to examine her handiwork. She only looked for a few seconds at the men with broken appendages and bleeding faces. She walked forward, seemingly unaffected. Good. I didn't need her to falter from this.

She used her Omni Tool to scan the narrow hallway, finding numerous hidden turrets about to pop out of the walls. She used her right hand to produce a barrier as the turrets came out and fired at us. I could see her struggling to hold up the barrier as she used her left hand to produce five orbs of energy.

She launched them simultaneously and each one went for a separate target. The five orbs destroyed the turrets easily. Impressive. Such power and coordination. She could work on her defensive barrier more though.

Only one more door to go through. It opened and a male in a purple and white bodysuit and helmet came out, wielding a flashy baton of some sort. He had a golden X on his center, identifying him as Agent Chi. He did an impressive show of twirls with his weapons as he came out to face us.

Bonnie was preparing to fight him. As she stepped forward, I had half a mind to stop her and let me take care of him. But I knew she needed a worthy challenge to get her confidence back up. That loss to Shego had left her rankled.

Bonnie launched her hand outwards, attempting to grab the man for afar. He rolled out the way deftly and I could see some of her energy grab ahold of the spot he was previously in.

A loud boom erupted from his baton as distorted air came towards me. I stood with no fear as I knew Bonnie wouldn't let this hit. Sure enough, a familiar purple barrier materialized in front of me before the attack could hit me.

The barrier had some cracks in it when hit, meaning his attacks had some sort of power behind them. Interesting, the baton must have some type of concussive energy emitter on it. I'll take a look after he was beaten.

The man charged forwards to me, fully intent of taking me down. Maybe he saw me as some noncombatant and thought taking me down would make it harder for Bonnie to fight him. She would have to defend herself and an unconscious ally, making it easier for him to beat her. Too bad for him, I wasn't.

He jumped over the wave of telekinetic energy sent out by Bonnie and was nearing my location. He had his baton-charged with energy, attempting to land a powerful strike to knock me out in one attack.

"Pay attention to me, asshole!" Bonnie yelled, as she reached my position and sent a powered up punch at the airborne man.

Agent Chi was hit in the ribs and launched back towards where he came from. He quickly got back up and barely dodged an orb sent at him. He focused his attention on Bonnie now. He had learned his lesson.

Bonnie had moved towards him, sending her weaker blasts of energy at him. He easily avoided them and then shot off another a concussive blast.

Instead of trying to completely block the attack, she produced a small barrier, turned at an angle, a good distance away from her. The blast destroyed the barrier, but it was also thrown off its original trajectory, hitting the wall nearby.

Agent Chi ran forward, attempting to hit Bonnie with his longer reach. She dodged under the attack, sending a jab towards his side. The man did not flinch and attempted another attack, which Bonnie dodged again.

As I watched Bonnie fight Agent Chi, I noticed where she once would have tried power through an attack, she now dodged and countered. Her attacks did not do a lot of damage, but she constantly attacks the same three body parts. The ribs, the shoulder of the arm Agent Chi used to wield his baton, and his stomach.

Bonnie had been hit a few times and those hits had hurt. But she didn't let them slow her down. She kept going and going.

Bonnie finally got a good strike in. Agent Chi had overextended one of his swipes and Bonnie was able to produce a small orb in her palm. She aimed it at his shoulder and I could hear his arm being dislodged. His baton dropped out of his hand as he finally vocalized his pain. The man backpedaled a bit and Bonnie performed a flawless rear roundhouse kick, amped with her powers. Agent Chi flew to the other side of the corridor and was knocked unconscious from the impact.

Bonnie did not show any sign of exhaustion after the fight. Good. Our foes could still see us, and we could not show any weakness. I walked over to Agent Chi and pulled out a bundle of Kevlar cord out of my utility belt. I used it to tie up the WEE elite's hands and feet. He would be coming with us on the way out.

With all of their defenses taken down, we walked to the last door. This place was lightly defend compared to other places.

This post was mostly used for reconnaissance. That's why I chose this one for Bonnie's first mission. No robots, vehicles, or men with ranged weaponry. Just all melee fighters. Nothing that could truly pose a threat. Agent Chi was an unwanted anomaly and had almost made me take care of the rest of the mission.

Could she handle other foes? Yes, with some of my aide if needed. I was being overly cautious right now because of what happened while I was disabled. This would do for now, but I would set more challenging tasks soon. For her and myself.

Bonnie wasn't needed for this mission. I could have easily snuck in, got the data I needed, and snuck back out. But I had decided to let Bonnie out of simulated practices, give her a real taste of combat. It was a measly sample what she would face, but she needed it. A confidence boost after being quickly defeated by Shego.

Bonnie was like a siege cannon, powerful at range but lacking in direct combat. I needed her to realize she was extremely powerful in long range combat. Her weakness was close quarters if that person had the skills around Kimberly in current level. Bonnie's skills would suffice for any regular minion.

Shego was a special case. Not only did she have the skills and experience to beat Bonnie, but her glow negated Bonnie's power. After Bonnie explained what happened and reviewing the camera feed, I found out that if Shego directed her glow around her whole body, it would act as some sort of barrier against the influence of Bonnie's telekinesis.

The Supreme One never used her glow in the same fashion. But then again, her glow could stand up to my MMP. Shego developing new and different powers from The Supreme One was something to be noted and concerned about.

Bonnie and I walked to the last door. She used her Omni Tool to hack the door to get it to open. When we walked in, a bunch of noncombatant workers scattered around the room like roaches. Sheldon should have at least given them some sort of combat training and armed them. No matter. I won't make that mistake.

I told Bonnie to round them up as I headed to the main computer. I told her to not damage them too much, they were fragile, and I needed their heads intact for the use I had for them. I heard shouts of struggling and pain as I hacked into the database.

I heard her say she had gotten all of them about the time I had finished. I planted numerous viruses into the database for anyone foolish enough to try to find what I had searched for. I told Bonnie to follow when I finished, with an entourage of floating eggheads behind us. I picked up Agent Chi on the way out.


	20. Chapter 20

**(Wednesday)**

I was inside a Global Justice VTOL with Kimberly and Josh. Global Justice had thought it was necessary protection for Team Possible since my raid on the World Evil Empire last night. The government agency didn't want Kimberly and her team getting attacked en route to a mission. The public fallout would be severe.

The agent that had to explain that Kimberly surely had a headache now. The redhead had spent a few minutes yelling at him about how she can handle herself. Josh tried to calm her down at the time, but he couldn't contain her fury. The girl felt like this was a personal attack on her skills and fighting abilities. Truthfully, she was being prideful.

The agent had lost his composure and told her to shut up. He told her that the group responsible for the WEE raid was the same one that killed a dozen GJ agents and put Will Du into a coma. He explained that the leader was a man ready to kill, unlike the criminals she faced. He said those criminals were nothing compared to me and she was not ready to fight me, if ever. I got a little giddy about that comment.

He took one look at Kimberly's and Josh's pale faces and apologized for his outburst. He told us he had lost his brother on that mission and he didn't want her family to feel the same as he had felt. He then let us in the vehicle. We were silent for the first half of the hour.

"I can't believe that happened to Will," Kimberly whispered, "I didn't like the guy, but I would never wish that on someone. Not even Shego or Bonnie."

You better not. I would have to kill you myself if you did that to Bonnie. And it would a slow and painful death. Shego was a free pass. We would both benefit from it.

"That just shows how much a good heart you have, babe," Josh said sweetly to her, his hands squeezing hers. He was going into comfort mode and he was getting better at it.

"How do you feel Ron?" she asked.

I turned to look at her with my serious expression. "This shows how dark the world is. How dangerous what we do is. It makes me feel like I can't handle this. I don't have the same skills as you."

I'm lying through my fucking teeth. The worried expression on Kimberly's face unsettled me a bit. "I'm not skilled in martial arts like you. I don't have your agility or acrobatics to dodge death traps with the same efficiency. I don't feel cut out for this."

"Ron, are you saying you're going to quit?" she asked, her a voice a little broken.

I shook my head. "If I do, it's not going to be any time soon. I would let you know way beforehand. I'll go as far as I can handle, KP."

"You know, I never enjoyed this stuff. I did it for you. I wanted to do anything I could do to help you and keep you safe. But as you go farther down this path, there is a stopping point for me."

"I'm not going to abandon you. I'll help from the sidelines as Wade does. That's one of the reasons I've been improving my grades," I finished.

"Oh," was all she could say. Not that I expected much. What I said was a lot for her to process. I just needed her to know she couldn't come to depend on me as she has always done.

This would create some distance between us and she wouldn't stick her nose in my business as much. She would be preoccupied with other stuff, like her boyfriend. Speaking of him, I glanced at him. He was just staring at me in shock. I knew he expected to still be Kimberly's little lapdog.

Kimberly's communicator went off, snapping her out of the funk I put her in. "What's the stitch?"

The child genius told us Killigan was holding a large group of people hostage at one of the most luxurious mini-golf courses in Scotland. The lunatic apparently wanted no distractions as he tried to break a world record.

I repressed the urge to smash anything out of repulsion or anger. The villains committed crimes for the pettiest reason. At least I could professionally respect Lipsky and Dementor, as they were trying to take over the world. The latter has a better chance than the former.

Even if the blue-skinned dolt had a superior fighter that could wipe the floor of all Dementor's elite henchmen. Just thinking of that blasted woman caused my bloodthirst to rise. I bit my lip to reign it in. Hopefully, Killigan hired some of Jack's men to entertain me. Whoever I injured too much would be sent to Tartarus anyway.

Kimberly began to tell us the basics. She was going directly after Killigan, no surprise there. Josh and I would be distractions if necessary and attempt to free the civilians. Can't let them get hurt or Kimberly will face a mean smear campaign from the media. Josh was told to follow any orders I gave him, no questions asked.

"Don't worry, buddy. I'm not going to let anything happen to you," I reassured him with my trademark goofy grin. My face was starting to hurt.

"I trust you, dude." Fool. He was lucky I needed him operational. Kimberly was smiling hard, probably thinking we were becoming good friends now. We weren't. It's not that I disliked Josh, but we were going to be on opposite sides of a coming war. Maybe if I had become more mature in the original timeline, we could have been friends.

GJ let us know we were over the drop off zone. I went over to Josh to check his parachute. I properly tightened all the straps. "I know KP gave you a crash course on this, but I'm still going to lead you step by step."

Kimberly had already walked to the exit as I began my lesson. I had Josh repeat the steps three times in a row perfectly, which he got a little annoyed by, before leading him to the exit.

"Make sure to land behind our fearless leader. She has the most combat prowess among us, so she needs to be in the front to react to any potential threats near the landing zone," I tell him. He nods. We jump in order. Kimberly first, Josh second, and me third. I was last to go, in case I needed to catch Josh if he freaked out.

We landed on the opposite end of the miniature golf set. Kimberly used her device to pinpoint Killigan's and hostages' location.

"Josh, you're going to have to dart between cover to cover. I hope you haven't been skipping leg day," I whispered to my fellow blonde as both of us crouch down, moving forward, while Kimberly took a different route from us, "We've got to move quickly until we close enough to the minions. Then we slow down to get to an advantageous position."

"And here I thought we were just going to bust through the front door like the movies," Josh said, chuckling.

"That's what KP does," I tell him, "She's got the skills to back it up. We don't."

"You and me to take every advantage we can. If you have to grab a pole to make an improvised weapon to fight off some henchmen, do it."

"But Kim has been teaching me Kung Fu to defend myself!"

I rolled my eyes. "How long has she been teaching you? A week?"

"Three actually, plus my father taught me boxing this last year," he answers.

"You've gotten a year of training, while KP has almost ten. She's unique while us two are average joes. We don't have the crazy acrobatic skills she has. We must make do with what we got and find every advantage we can or we will find ourselves in grave danger. So do what you must do to win a fight! There isn't such thing as a fair fight."

"I'll t-try," he stuttered, as we hid behind a miniature windmill.

I put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm just trying to get through to you that this stuff is much more dangerous than KP lets on. She only sees it through her view with her fantastic skills, not through the lens of one of us average people."

"You are my responsibility and I take that seriously. We can do this. I've got your back. Do you have mine?"

Some of the fear I created left Josh's eyes. "Yes."

I peeked out from behind our cover to see Kimberly launching her assault on the villain. "Let's go."

Josh and I were headed to the building where the hostages were held, the equipment lock-up. We had to dodge numerous explosive golf balls thrown at us by Killigan, even though they were directed at Kimberly.

While I was able to easily dodge the projectiles, Josh was fumbling mess, having a few close calls. I was disgusted, not at him, but by the lack of proper training he had been given. Inefficient training was one of the biggest annoyances for me. Kimberly and I will be having words later.

Once we made it to our destination and hid in some bushes nearby, we noticed there was a small group of minions. They were five men dressed like Killigan. They weren't Hench Co. I guessed they were petty criminals who weren't cut out for the brutality of the Scottish Mafia.

"How many can you handle?" I asked Josh.

He was wide-eyed at the sight of the large men. They were beefy, more fat than muscle. Slow too, but still could cause a lot of pain with all the mass they held. "Uh, one?"

I nodded. "Okay. If you require assistance just scream Rufus."

I ran forward, performing a slide to make the first man fall and elbowed his spine as he tried to get up. He was sent back down with a cry of pain. His allies tried form a circle and cut me off from escaping, but I still got away. They followed in pursuit.

Good. Now one was isolated and already injured. Easy prey for Josh.

I stopped running after a minute and stood my ground to wait for the slowpokes. The first meathead threw a right hook at me. I caught his wrist and threw him over my shoulder. I performed a heel drop on his chest after he landed and heard his ribs break.

I spun around to deliver a spinning rear roundhouse kick to the other fool who dared to approach me. The man slumped to the ground as my foot made contact with his now broken jaw.

The last two were apprehensive about attacking me. They circled around me like two wolves hunting prey, when in reality they were insects messing with a predator that wouldn't have noticed if he crushed them accidentally.

The two lunged forward at the same time. I ducked under the sloppy haymakers they sent, causing them to hit each other. An open palm to both of their chests made them hobble backward.

I rushed the one to my right, sending a jab to his face, breaking his nose. I followed up with an uppercut, lifting the burly man off his feet and into the air. He was out cold when he hit the ground.

I glanced at the last one. The man had his hands up in a disarming manner. Coward. I launched forward, chopping at his Adam's apple. The man bellowed over, and I kneed him in the face. The last minion fell over, blood flowing out his mouth.

I ran over to the equipment warehouse to See Josh knock the last man with a well-executed right hook. "Good job. Now let's free these hostages."

The door was kept shut by a bundle of golf clubs taped together by grey duct tape. Tacky. I removed the offending items.

"When I open the door, announce we are working with Kim Possible and that should keep the civilians calm," I instructed my fellow blonde teammate, "We tell them to stay inside since it's too dangerous outside right now. We then separate the injured and the uninjured. That way it's easy for the paramedic to do their job after KP is done."

"Shouldn't we help her?" Josh asked.

I looked over at Kimberly to see her in a duel with Killigan, both using golf clubs as their weapons. "If she calls for help, then yes. Let her get her adrenaline rush. She's got this under control."

* * *

**(Same Evening: Middleton)**

Hope and I had just arrived back at my place after going to the spa. Tara had joined us also, but she had family stuff to deal with after we were done. So, I dropped her off back at her house earlier.

The spa day had been paid for by Ron, he said I needed a little pampering to refresh. I didn't disagree, I felt too good about him giving and paying for a day of relaxation. It would be better if he was there too, but missions. I couldn't have everything.

Hope had surprisingly came when I offered. I was half expecting her to decline after recent events, but since she didn't I had the chance to repair our friendship. I still wanted her as my friend.

She was the only girl, other than Tara, who didn't kiss up to me in middle school. She was actually a contender for cheer captain in those days. She was my first rival and I respected her for her skills and intelligence. When I eventually came out as top dog, our rivalry transformed into friendship.

She never slacked off when we became friends. She was always half a step behind, keeping me on my toes and making me try even harder to stay ahead. She was a source of motivation and a confident.

And then Kim showed up. Hope still kept her pace, but also shared tips to help try to best my new rival. She didn't mind me seeing Kim as my new rival, as the redhead easy perfection irked the Hope too. We had to work twice as hard as to produce results similar to Kim.

Without Hope, I'm sure I would have settled for second place. I needed Hope to push me to my best and slow me down, so I could rest.

While Ron didn't trust her, I still believed Hope could provide a benefit to him. She might not ever like him, but I could make her loyal to me, which by extension made her loyal to Ron from my loyalty! Our friendship could be salvaged.

I just needed to prove it to Ron and he would lay off her. That night with fooling Hope made me uncomfortable. This girl had stuck by my side for so long. But the illusion had been necessary, as Hope was trying to tell Kim about Ron.

And with a new position as vice-captain, she was going to be by the redhead's side a lot. Kim does have a knack for making people into pets. I just had to look at the former Ron and Monique. She did pick up the ebony girl on her first day of school. I couldn't let that jape to Hope, she would provide too much information to those Feds Kim was working with.

When we both got inside the house and I saw no one was home, I told Hope to drop her bags. "I'll carry them."

I lifted the bags telekinetically, noticing Hope flinch. My powers didn't scare Hope now, did they? I left a little hurt at that scared expression on her face at the floating bags. I didn't want Hope to see me as a freak.

Once we got to my room, I put the bags down near my bed. I sat down on my bed, while Hope plopped down on the floor nearby. Normally, she would sit on the bed with me. Not a good sign.

"Today was great!" I said.

"And much needed," Hope added, "How did you convince your dad to pay for it?"

"Ron paid for it, actually."

"Oh," Hope replied, a frown now on her face, "I should have not come then."

"Don't be like that Hope! You still had a good time, right?" I asked.

She sneered. "I don't want to think I owe him anything."

"You don't. It was a treat for me and I could choose to who to bring," I said.

"I don't even know why you asked if you know how I feel about him," she hissed, a bit of fear in her eyes.

That won't do. "Hope, I want to apologize on behalf of Ron."

"I know his handling of you has been a little rough," I said, "But you have to understand that you can't tell Kim anything about him, me, or his plans."

"Handling? He spanked me in the gym where anyone could see, treating me like some disobedient side piece!" she yelled at me.

"I assure you he doesn't view you like that." I didn't know about that. He just said he handled it. I needed to push my luck form now on and ask more questions.

"What does he view me as then Bonnie? He always glaring me whenever I open my mouth and I feel like he's going to attack me any second now!"

"And what about you, Bonnie? What does he view you as? A pawn or attack dog for his personal use?"

"And what about Tara? There's a fucking spirit that possesses her every week! And you aren't trying to remove the damn thing! Aren't you're her friend?"

Hope finally went quiet. She curled up in a ball, hiding her face behind her legs. I heard a quiet sob after a minute of silence. I cautiously walked over to her. I sat down behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. When she didn't push me away, I engulfed into a hug, my head resting on top of hers.

"I'm scared Bonnie. He's got all this dangerous power and you and T are drawn to him like moths to a flame," she mumbled, "What will happen if one of you upset him one day? Is he going to make you disappear as he did with Brick? I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you or T."

"Nothing is going to happen to us," I assured her.

"But!"

"No buts Hope. I'm going to let Ron know he can't treat you like this anymore. It's unacceptable!"

"He won't let listen to you!" Hope argued.

"He will," I said confidently, "Just trust me. I came to Ron of my own violation and leave of my own will also."

"So, he's not mind-controlling you?" Hope asked.

I smirked. I felt my power course through my veins as I levitated everything in my room. "You forget Hope that my mind has always been my strongest tool. He can't control my mind or powers. Only I can."

Hope gave me a shaky smile. "I trust you."

* * *

**(Wednesday Night: Possible Household)**

Kimberly, Josh, and I had returned from our mission Josh's first successful mission. Mrs. Possible had checked over Kimberly and me for injuries. We had none and it was Josh's turn now.

"I need to talk to you," I tell her as Mrs. Possible began her check up on Josh, "Alone."

The young redhead female was paying me no much attention, focused on her boyfriend. "You can say whatever you need to say here."

"Kimberly," I said, "It's important."

Everyone froze at me using the heroine's true first name. I don't think I ever used it until the Regime. "I'll be in your room when you are ready to talk."

I walked upstairs ignoring the stares everyone was giving me. I heard Jim and Tim making obnoxious noises about Kimberly being trouble. When I got inside her room, I sat in her computer chair, slouched over, crossed my arms over my chest, and closed my eyes.

I heard some more murmuring downstairs and heard Kimberly's recognizable rushing footsteps. They were light but still loud. Her steps stopped one step passed her door. "Close the door behind you."

Once I heard the door close, I opened my eyes and saw Kimberly looking worriedly at me. "Everything okay, Ron?"

"No," I simply state.

"Uh, okay. What's the stitch?" she asked.

"Today with Josh was terrible," I tell her.

"But he only got a bruise!"

"He was lucky and he got that from one minion," I tell her, "During our run to the hostages, I counted five times where he was nearly hit by one of those exploding golf balls. He would have second-degree burns if he got hit one."

Kimberly paled a little at this tidbit. "You're saying he's not cut out for world-saving?"

"Yes, he is," I said, surprising Kimberly, "He was able to take down a man about twice his size and came out with a minor injury. The man was also more skilled than the normal goons we face. Josh is obviously a fast learner."

"Or maybe he has a really good teacher," Kim said smugly.

I glared at her. "The only reason he almost got blown up was due to a lack of skill. A skill that can be taught. He was fumbling his way to the hostages. You can rectify this. Divide his training. Half combat and half evasive maneuvers."

She blinked. She blinked twice. Then again. It was starting to aggravate me.

"You have anything to say?" I asked, as my Omni tool pinged. I pulled out my phone. A message from Bonnie.

_'We need to talk.'_

_'Now.'_

Must be important, if Bonnie is demanding. "That's all I have to say. I hope you take my words seriously."

"I will!" she yelled, snapping out of her stupor, "I, uh, wanted to thank you for looking out for Josh. I'm going to take your advice."

"Good."

"I don't think I could handle him getting seriously hurt," Kimberly said, head down.

I sighed. "We've been doing this for years, with only us to worry about. Understandably, you didn't think about what a new person needs when they join us. You are used to someone who can already do the necessary tasks, like me or Will Du."

"Yeah," she agreed, "Wait. When did you learn how to avoid enemies, death traps, and other hazardous?"

I smirked. "The hard way. Let's not have Josh experience that."

* * *

**(Elsewhere)**

I took my shoes off and put the slippers near the doormat on. I walked into the kitchen and searched the fridge for something to eat. I saw some leftovers from yesterday and grabbed it.

"You're back early," the voice said behind me, "Bad date?"

"No," I tell the voice, "I got stood up."

The girlish laughter came afterward, as I felt pressure applied to my shoulder. "There's a first time for everything Hirotaka-san. These Americans aren't raised the same. She most likely forgot."

"I didn't ask the blonde out, Yori-san," I tell her, "Hope called me on my way back and apologized. She sounded like she just finished crying."

"Is she okay?"

"Yes. Just some drama between friends," I answer, "She seemed to be withholding information, but that is to be expected. She barely knows me. But her calling me is a good sign."

"Are sure this is the best way?" Yori asked me as I pulled out the drink I wanted. Her eyes narrowed when she saw my food, "That's mine. You ate all of yours yesterday, you pig."

I still held onto the food as I closed the fridge. "Yes. It's better than the recon we've been doing. Too many eyes in the sky. Sharing is caring, Yori-san."

"Lazy bum," she muttered as she walked away, "Next time, just ask!"

I grinned victoriously as I went to warm up my dinner in the microwave. Yori knew I was still a growing boy. I went to my phone and began to text Hope.

I told her is she ever wanted to talk, I would be willing to listen. She said okay.

Over the next few minutes of me eating dinner, I got snippets of what was bothering her. Bonnie's and Tara's friendship from Ronald Stoppable.

I didn't understand why. People's outlook on Stoppable ranged from loveable goofball to someone you didn't want to mess with. The former came form older citizens of Middleton, who know of him by his association with Middleton's local celebrity, Kimberly Possible.

The latter came from certain students of Middleton High. The muscle heads, jocks, and the bullies. They were all deathly afraid of him and by extension anyone he associated with. But some spoke of how weak he used to be.

How could he be weak at one time? The blonde had been the sidekick to Possible for years, ever since middle school. He had to face super villains and their men regularly. Stoppable had to know to fight properly and the villain's men were obviously stronger than the average high schooler.

Yori walked back into the kitchen. I told her what I learned.

"Stoppable used to be on the bottom of the social hierarchy until a few months ago. His sudden rise was due to him defeating his former tormentors," Yori told me, "Maybe Hope is scared he might hurt her friends? Bonnie was one of his bullies at one point. Nothing physical, all verbal and emotional, but that is still as bad."

"He would have been taken his revenge by now though if that was the case. And I've heard Bonnie stopped bullying him after Stoppable and Bonnie were placed together on a project," Yori added, "So Stoppable showed something during that time that piqued her interest enough to stop her bullying and make her want to hang out with him."

"Where did you learn all of this?" I ask.

"The Americans have loose lips."

My face scrunched up in disgust. "Gossip then. I can't stand that stuff."

"You should look down on it. It can be a reliable source of information."

'Whatever. I'll have turn my image into one of a protector then," I tell Yori, "If hope believes I can fend off Stoppable, she would open up more."

"This involves you showing off, doesn't it?" I could hear the disappointment in her voice.

I smile. "Of course."

* * *

**(Load's Basement)**

I was hard at work on of my new inventions. I had only finished the blueprints a month ago, for the prototype. I hadn't planned to start on this until I fixed the major bugs, which might take a year. But I needed to make a simple model of it. The stakes had raised considerably.

After Kim told me about this mysterious guy that Global Justice feared, I hacked into their database to get the full report. I had lost a few of my valuable proxy links, but I needed all the details because I knew Kim hadn't been told everything.

What I read made me almost vomit. The man had burnt all the agents alive, besides Will Du. He made the poor guy watch and broke his wrist and ankles. Those parts were shattered into so many minuscule parts that they couldn't be repaired.

My fear of Kim's safety skyrocketed. Will Du had said the man had super strength and there was a huge crater with a perfect impression of the Global Justice agent's head. Then the guy had access to some strange tech. A newer osprey and some type of rifles that shot concussive and stunning lasers.

I needed to give Kim an edge. I didn't doubt her fighting capabilities, but a regular human could only do so much against an enhanced one. And this one didn't play fair. I doubt Kim could win a fight against Hego. His strength and durability severely outclassed hers. Shego could only beat her brother because of her plasma powers that would shred through his defenses.

"Don't worry, Kim," I whispered as I kept working, "You'll have a super-suit to fight that creep!"


	21. Chapter 21

**(Middleton Base)**

I stood in the middle of the training room, hands behind my back as Bonnie walked inside the training room. She was fully suited and eyes filled with determination. No fear. Good.

I let my hands fall to my side as I took one step forward. Bonnie released a small burst of her ki, her body still relaxed.

I took another step forward, her eyes narrowed. I performed a half right face. I took steady steps around her, with her always turning to face me. She hadn't made a move yet, knowing it would cost her dearly. She knew she had to be on the defensive.

My fingers twitched, causing her body to tense up reactively. That's when I struck. I sprinted forward, palm open, and aimed at her stomach.

Bonnie made a triangular barrier with her hands to stop my attack. Oh? Surprising, but also not. She was a smart girl and the triangle was fundamentally the strongest structure.

She had her fist clenched when my palm smacked against the barrier. It only cracked a little. She then quickly unclenched her hand and turned it around, open palm facing mine.

I was pushed back by an outburst of ki and she then sent a wave attack at me. I flipped over it. I was upside down and airborne when Bonnie aimed a ki powered jab at my head. I caught her fist with my reinforced one. I held onto her fist as my momentum and gravity forced me forward and to land behind her. When I landed on my feet, I threw her over my shoulder.

I was surprised when she stopped her sudden air flight by covering herself with ki. It must be similar to the stasis ability she used on me once.

I activated the storage components of my new vambraces on my armor, causing three needle-thin metal needles, senbon, to fly in each hand. I threw them at Bonnie as she landed. She used a hastily made shield to protect herself, my senbons pierced the shield halfway.

I ran forward, performing a rear roundhouse kick with my left leg, one aimed at her head. Bonnie was barely able to raise her arm to block and form a shield, the force of my attack causing her to be pushed off to the side. I lashed out with the opposite leg in the form of a mule kick. My back had been facing as her as my foot landed on the ground.

I heard a grunt of pain when my foot connected. Bonnie must have let her guard down in an attempt to attack me. Foolish. I had a satisfied smirk on my face. "First blood, Bon Bon."

She snarled at me. "Fuck you."

"One day." This time, Bonnie rushed forward.

I prepared myself for a melee assault, but to my surprise, she jumped high into the air with a series of flips I recognized from cheerleading. She was now out my attack range, holding herself up in the air with her powers, but she wasn't frozen. She had created two large balls of purple energy.

"Eat this, loser!" She yelled. Tiny orbs of telekinetic energy were launched at me.

I found myself ducking, diving, and weaving to avoid the volley of fast attacks. It was only three seconds long, but she must have at least launched twenty of those things. Good thing she wasn't too accurate with this attack. It was like suppressing fire, indiscriminate, and inaccurate. But suppression was never meant for killing.

"Fuck!" I heard her yell as she landed. She was breathing heavily. The attack must have taken a lot out of her.

I stepped one foot forward, like the beginning of our fight. Her ki flared this time. I could tell she was about to get desperate. "That trick almost worked, Bon Bon. The attack seemed familiar. You must have been watching Dragon Ball Z with Tara again."

She ignored my quip, creating two large energy balls again. She didn't fire immediately, her eyes focused on me. I tilted my heads sideways in confusion, which triggered her to fire off another volley. These were much faster and some's trajectory arched toward me.

I wasn't able to dodge all of them this time, one of them hitting me painfully in the chest. I summoned the Lotus Blade.

' _That kind of tickled!'_ Hisako whispered in my head when I blocked an attack, _'But it also kind of hurt! I want more!'_

I ignored the disgusting glee from her as I deflected Bonnie's attack. Well, the first wave. She sent larger ones that weren't as fast, but when I sliced through them as I moved towards Bonnie, explosions comprised of ki and telekinetic energy went off.

My vision was slightly obscured and only my supernatural senses notified me of an incoming ki comprised attack coming from behind me. I spun around to see the smaller orbs. How?

As I raised Hisako to block the attacks, I felt more attacks coming from where I was just previously facing. I attempted to block form both sides, but for every attack I stopped, I was hit by two more.

Her smaller orbs felt like I was being stabbed by surgical needles over and over. It was painful, enough to bring lesser men to their feet. But not me, I was just getting pissed off.

"Enough!" I yelled as a well of energy erupted from within me. I had released it as I yelled, blue ki exploding outward from my body. Previously, I was surrounded by Bonnie's attack, but now I was surrounded by shards of broken glass showing everything near me.

I saw Bonnie's barrage slowly moving towards me on the glass. I took the path of the least resistance, keeping my eye on Bonnie. Her face went slowly from confident to confusion. I walked towards her, breaking off into a run when I felt myself suddenly getting tired.

I changed Hisako into a bo staff, as the glass around me shattered and disappeared. I struck her unscarred side, before sweeping her off her feet. Before she could get back up, I switched back to the Lotus blade and positioned it right in front of her face. "You're done."

She didn't look at Hisako in fear, instead, looking me directly in the eyes. Her gaze was filled with concentration, no doubt trying to figure out a way out of this predicament. The room was clear of all rubble, so she couldn't pick up any objects to use for a sneak attack.

Wait! I dispelled Hisako to catch the six senbon I used earlier. I expected six, but only got three instead. Bonnie had used this a chance to knock me back a few feet with a simple telekinetic push.

I looked back at Bonnie, who then telekinetically threw the other three senbon at me. I reacted by using the three I held to intercept hers, with her standing back up. Then she forced all six back to fly towards me.

I used Mach Step for the first time. I couldn't use it while under siege from Bonnie's earlier attack. Not only did I lack the concentration at that moment, but Mach Step wasn't teleportation. It accelerated me to high speeds for a second and caused me to move in a straight line. I would have just slammed into more of her orbs.

I had tackled her to the ground. I was on top, with Hisako against her neck. Just like a few months ago. She kept my gaze for a moment, before looking away. "Dammit."

I got up and put away Hisako, who was whining about wanting to fight more. "This will only serve as a lesson to what you need to improve on."

"Not like I'm going to be fighting people like you all the time," I heard her mutter.

"You'll be surprised by what you'll face," I said, holding out a hand for. She grabbed it. "You did well today."

"So does that mean…" She trailed off hopefully as I helped her up.

"Yes. You earned it. Take care of your little pet," I answered. Bonnie didn't respond, knowing better too. She followed me out of the room. Time to talk to Hisako again.

* * *

**(Later that night)**

I sat on the bed as I waited for her to finish her family dinner. I wanted to speak to Hisako about what happened during the fight with Bonnie, but the damn spirit was being annoying and demanding. Said I needed to commune through Tara for the talk.

Why? I don't know and I could care less. I just needed to know how to activate the power at will. Uncontrollable power was something that always bothered me.

The door cracked open, with my target walking in. She was talking to an older male, had to be her father. She had no brothers and no other male relatives that lived in this state.

Tara laughed at some joke. The lightness of the sound shook my body. It was a relaxing sound.

When she turned around, she was startled to see me. It was quickly replaced with a smile. She closed the door and locked it.

"Hey Ron," she greeted me, as she walked over. She sat right beside me.

"Tara."

She placed a hand on my upper thigh. "I know you don't do social calls. Why are you here?"

"Hisako," She was confused now, "During my battle with Bonnie today, something strange happened. I tried to speak to Hisako afterward, but she was insistent you be present."

"Eh? I won't be able to talk when she's in control."

"Exactly. I don't see the point," I told her, "But I rather have my answers given than go through trial and error."

"So impatient!" She teased.

I ignored her, pushing her hand off me. "Come on Ron! I was just playing!"

I still ignored her. She then sat behind me, pressing her bust against my head. "Ronnie, I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. I'm not being impatient. I don't like having powers I cannot control. It can activate at the wrong time and cause a catastrophe," I explained.

"Oh." She began to rub the top of my head, still in the same position. As great as this was, I was here for business. Not pleasure.

"Tara, could you tell that annoying woman to get out here?"

"I can try, but she doesn't like being bossed around." Tara moved back to sitting beside me.

She closed her eyes and her face went through annoyed to anger. After a minute, I heard her sigh.

"What's wrong?" I asked as she opened her eyes.

Tara eyed me warily. "She's concerned you might freak out."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why would I do that?"

"You have to do something similar to what you did with Bonnie," She answered.

I frowned. Hisako had a point. I was…apprehensive to try a meditative Ki session again. "Can she assure that the same result won't happen?"

Tara's eyes went from teal to ice blue. "It's totally safe this time master!"

"How's this time different?" I was still cautious.

"Have some faith in me!" She rolled Tara's eyes at me, "You're going to give busty boobs here some of your ki for exchange of mine."

"What?"

"Master, I've been inhabiting this one's body for a few weeks. I wasn't planning even on staying this long!"

"No that! The part about your ki!" I hissed at her lowly. I didn't want to gain her family's attention.

She looked at me smugly. "Did you really think me being here wasn't going to leave some side effects, did you? Look at this way, your ki being in here is a lot safer than mine."

"How about no ki?" Why did this spirit always throw problems in my plans? Wasn't she supposed to be on my side, helping me? Not making things harder!

She waggled a finger at me. "Nope. Once it's been placed, it can't be taken away. Plus, when she eventually accesses her ki, she can process yours into her own. Mine, on the other hand, will eventually damage her."

I rubbed the temples of my head. "Why did you do this?"

"Hey! I was originally going to possess that other girl, but this one got in the way," Hisako answered with a bright smile, "I like Tara better anyway, she appreciates Japanese culture. Plus she can get something to help her in combat! More than just regular physical augmentation!"

That piqued my interest. "Like what?"

Hisako shrugged Tara's shoulders. "Probably nothing offensive or destructive like you or Bonnie. Something more passive."

I released a sigh. "Let's just get this over with."

A minute later, I found myself cross-legged, opposite of Tara on the bed. Our hands were cupped together. I took deep breaths, reaching into my core for my ki. Instead of the familiar burn, I felt a shocking sensation from my ki. There was no pain associated with it to fuel my adrenaline. It was just a jolt of energy instead like it had been the last couple of days.

There was time to examine that tidbit later. I didn't need as much mental strength to draw power. I got goosebumps as the shocking sensation went across my chest to my arms. The energy passed through my hands before it hit the cold Ki of Hisako's. It was like a barrier and I was about to destroy it.

' _Gentle Master, this is her first time,'_ Hisako's perverse voice said. I ignored its innuendo but listened to her advice. I created a mental picture of my ki. Beforehand, it was like a ramming rod about to smash against a glacial wall. Now it was a thin needle of surgical precision.

My imagery got cleared as the needle inserted itself into the wall of ice. I had a visualization of an icy wasteland, powerful winds blowing in the direction the needle came from. The needle slowly went in, up until about three fourths. Dark clouds then appeared in the sky, a lightning bolt crackled from the air. The needle was struck, a cascade of electrical energy ripped open the wall.

My serene imagery was destroyed by the moan coming out of the possessed Tara's mouth. "Amazing Master!"

I kept my annoyance under wraps. The noise she made was fairly loud and I didn't need a concerned family member of Tara's interrupting this.

I felt Hisako's bone-chilling power flood into me. Once all of it had been gathered, I let go of Tara's hands and opened my eyes. My fellow blonde's face was as red as a tomato.

"Do you think anyone heard that?" she asked in a squeaky voice.

"Probably," she groaned, "But, it's understandable. You're a teenager and something like that shouldn't come off as a surprise."

"Ron!" she harshly whispered, "I don't want my parents thinking that I'm watching porn or something!"

"Not my problem." I checked the time. It was almost nine.

"Well, what I'm feeling right now is your fault!" I glanced at her to see a childish pout on her face.

I was feeling generous today. Maybe it had to do with my powers no longer hurting me when I use them. "I guess I'll have to take care of it. I would hate for you to deem me as an irresponsible fellow."

"Huh?" I pounced on her, making her fall on her back. She let out a little adorable squeak that I quickly silenced with my lips.

I pulled back. "Ronnie?"

I cupped her face, "Just enjoy it, Tara."

I kissed her again, this time with her kissing back. The soft pecks quickly descended into making out, our tongues fighting for control. I won that battle.

I broke contact to attack her neck. She let out another moan, her hands wrapping around my head and fingers running through my hair. As I continued my ministration, she began to grind against my crotch, her heat arousing me.

I stopped once again to sit up. I pulled her upward, forcing her to straddle me. She was breathing heavily and sporting a blush. I smirked at her, as I grabbed a handful of her rear, my smirk widening as she gasped.

"Having fun, T?" I used Bonnie's pet name for her. She bit her lip as I kept squeezing her firm butt. That wouldn't do. While she wasn't as endowed as her best friend in the back, she made up for it in the front. When I removed my hand, she let out a breath she was holding.

She didn't think she was getting a break, did she? She wanted relief and I was going to give it to her.

I began to swiftly unbutton her shirt, chuckling at her wide-eyed expression. I had already removed the article of clothing when she came to her senses. She was wearing a white bra with a flower motif on it. Lacey stuff was Bonnie's thing.

"R-Ron," she muttered, "W-what are you doing?"

"Giving what you what you asked for," I then removed her bra. Her considerable C cup, borderline D cup, breasts jiggled as they lost their support. Tantalized, I licked my lips as I grabbed two handfuls.

Before I indulged myself, I looked at her face once more to see nervousness plastered on it. That's right. I was the first person she ever has done anything like this with. Just like last time, during our first semester at college.

"I'll be gentle," I assured her, giving her a chaste kiss on her lips. She had a shaky smile on her face now.

I gave her knockers a light squeeze, reveling in the softness of her skin and the firmness of the breast. I placed my thumbs over her pink nipples, going to work. The rapid movement provided the pleasure she sought, as she began to let out soft moans and I slowly speed up.

I moved my right hand back to her rear, freeing up a spot for my mouth. My left kept up its ministration as I slowly licked her nipple.

"Ron," She moaned, going back to grinding against me. I stopped playing with the left nipple to wet my thumb. I started to suck on the right and back to playing with left with a damp thumb. Tara was now taking rapid breathing and I only picked up the intensity and grinded back.

A few minutes later, her legs shook uncontrollably as she brutishly kissed me to hide her scream. Her whole body shook for a few seconds as she laid her body against mine. I had placed my hands on her back, going in soothing circles. "Is this what you wanted?"

She made an affirmative noise. "Are you going to stay the night?"

"Do you want me too?" I asked.

She had positioned herself where she could see my face. She nodded. "I'll stay."

She smiled. "I'll be right back. Need to shower and change."

She hopped out my lap, grabbed some clothes, and headed to the door. She looked back at me. "Don't go anywhere, baby."

I raised one eyebrow at the nickname. "Staying right here."

She smiled once again and headed out the door, closing it right behind her.

* * *

**(Next day)**

I had woken up at the crack of dawn to sneak out of Tara's house. She had barely registered that I was leaving, giving me a sleepy goodbye.

I was running down to my house when I almost, making a turn at the corner when I almost ran into Kimberly. Both of us had reflexively dodged out of each other's way, leaving the slightly behind Josh staring at us.

"Sorry KP/Ron!"

"Akweird…" I decided to be silent so she could speak.

"What are you doing up so early, Ron?" she asked me, Josh now right beside her.

"Just taking an early morning run," I answered, "Like you two."

"How far?" Was there a spark of competitiveness in her tone?

"About four miles," That was about the distance between Tara's and my house.

"Josh and I are doing five!" Yep. She made this a competition. Her boy toy looked like he wanted to cry.

"I thought you said two and a half," he muttered. Kimberly and I both heard that.

"That was the warm-up! Let's go, Josh!" She commanded, running off with a now miserable Josh trailing behind.

I shook my head as I ran to my house. Josh was going to be dead tired today and I hoped we didn't have a mission later today. He might have to sit that one out.

Rufus greeted me when I got inside, asking where I was. I told him I was with a friend. He sniffed me. "T?"

I nodded, moving towards the garage. I planned to do a simple workout for today. I changed clothing quickly and began exercising.

As I exercised, I thought about my progress. Ever since I woke up. I had been moving at a snail's pace as far as my plans went. My powers might have been boosted, but that was not my main concern. There was plenty of time to train. I needed a stronger foothold on this planet.

I had only a small army on my side, Jack's company, and Bonnie. Tara wasn't ready for combat yet. My opponents were much stronger. Global Justice, any modern nation, and even WEE. My shades were strong, but not numerous enough to fight these organizations. I needed more men.

Then the Yamanoichi shinobi were here. I could just face them myself. All they were doing was just snooping around town. I needed to deal with them. Quickly.

I finished my workout, getting two messages from Bonnie and Tara. I responded, giving friendly salutations. Afterward, I went to the kitchen to fix breakfast.

I got six eggs to scramble. Contrary to popular belief, raw eggs were not more nutritious than cooked eggs. Cooked eggs were provided almost as much as twice as much protein than raw eggs due to the difference in the digestibility of the proteins. Plus, you heavily reduced the chance of foodborne illness.

I snorted at the idea of people following that fitness trend from one of the Rocky movies. Good thing Kimberly had her parents and me to dissuade her from picking that trend up a few years ago. Couldn't argue with a doctor, a rocket scientist, and your friend who's cooking skill was recognized by many four-star chefs from around the world.

I grabbed two skillets and turned on the stove. I got a stick of butter from the fridge cutting off two thin slices. I placed one slice on each skillet.

Getting a bowl, I began to beat the eggs, removing the white beforehand.

After beating the eggs, I placed them on the buttered and warmed skillet on the oven top. I got two pieces of bread from atop the fridge, placing one piece on top of the other skillet.

Using a wooden fork, I scrambled them to the right consistency. Where they have contained enough liquid to not be dry, but also not runny. I had switched the piece of bread with the other slice after toasting both sides. Now the second one was done.

I seasoned the eggs with salt and pepper, throwing in a hint of chili powder to spice them up. I got strawberry jam and spread it on the two pieces of toast. Then I put the scrambled eggs on them. I got two plates out of the cupboard, fixing a plate for myself and the other for Rufus.

Sitting down at the table, I took my first bite as Rufus did the same. He made happy chirping noises as I smiled. Delicious.

* * *

**(Middleton Streets)**

"I'm telling you, T, that exchange dude is up to something!" I told the blonde in the passenger seat, "And Hope keeps disappearing off with him! I called her twice this morning!"

"Maybe she's just on a date," she unhelpfully supplied, "And stop being paranoid. It's not like he's dangerous or something."

"I'm not so sure, T. I'm sure I've seen him snooping around with Yori chick a few times at night," I told her.

"Maybe they're ninjas?" I couldn't tell if she was being serious right now.

"With all the stuff I've recently seen, I wouldn't be surprised," I muttered to myself, getting a giggle out of her, "This isn't funny."

"It is B! Ever since we got involved with Ronnie, we got to see the strangest things!" She told me, "Things we would have never seen otherwise."

"I think that spirit is messing with your mind," I said. I had some reservations about that thing, but it (she?) was bound to Ron. So I had hoped she didn't mess with Tara.

"Hisako isn't there anymore."

"What? When did this happen?" Why didn't she tell me?

"Ron took her out last night when he visited," Tara explained, "We did this meditation thing, and then she was gone!"

I glanced at her warily. "He didn't freak-out or anything?"

She shook her head. "He was reluctant at first, but once Hisako told him that there would be some bad side effects is she stayed too long, he agreed. It was pretty simple, only taking a few minutes."

I huffed and kept my eyes on the road, trying to ignore the jealousy bubbling under my skin. "Then what?"

She blushed. "Nothing really. But I'm supposed to get my own powers eventually."

Something else happened, but I wasn't going to question it. She never questioned me. "My powers aren't going to be anything powerful like yours though, according to Hisako."

I forced down the relief and happiness I felt. I knew she only told me that to appease me. I wasn't going to be petty about this. "Speaking of powers, Ron's gained a new one."

"Really?"

"Yes. When we spared yesterday, I used a new attack that surrounded him with so many blasts that he couldn't block or avoid then all," I explained as when we came to a red light. I had animatedly waved my arms back and forth as I had done during the spar, "But it leaves me drained afterward. So during the attack, he made this big wave of energy come out his body like an explosion. Somehow he escaped the attack and was in front of me! He just got past the blasts, making them all crash into one another. I was like, what the fuck!"

"I was going to say that it sounded like Explosive Wave from the Dragon Ball games, but that move doesn't freeze time," Tara replied.

I groaned. "Don't mention that stupid Japanese cartoon."

"Anime!" I rolled my eyes at her correction.

"Whatever. He said I took a move from the show." Tara laughed.

"Energy Volley Wave," She told me, "It's one of Vegeta's signature moves! Oh, you should do Galick Gun next! You got the purple energy to pull it off!"

"I'm not using moves from that show!" I yelled as we pulled up to Ron's house.

Tara patted my shoulder in what was supposed to be a comforting motion. "It's inevitable Bonnie. You will join the weeb side."

"That was a terrible Star Wars joke," I told her, "I sometimes forget you are as big as a geek as him."

' _Another thing you two can bond over,'_ I thought bitterly. I really needed to calm down. Just because my two favorite blondes had shared a good moment during an activity that went badly for me, doesn't mean I need to get angry! Maybe now I could have a successful attempt since he seemingly got passed what was block him. I should ask him soon, so Tara wouldn't have a leg up on me.

Dammit. There I go being petty again. This might be a competition, but I didn't need to be cutthroat about it. Maybe we two needed to talk about this.

Tara had called Ron to get him outside. When he walked outside, he looked at us questioningly when he saw us in my coupe. "Where am I suppose to sit?"

Tara wiggled in her seat excitedly. I kept myself from glaring. "T, you're driving!"

I didn't stifle my laughter caused by her wide-eyed expression. "Eh?"

"You heard me! Get up!" I said smirking. My best friend pouted as she got up and exchanged seats with me. Before I sat down, I patted the leather seat. "Get in here, Ronnie!"

He did as he was told, seemingly obedient. I should have known better, for as soon as he sat down, he grabbed me by the waist and placed me right in his lap. I did not squeal like a little helpless child. No matter what T says.

I felt something poke my rear. I knew what it was. Something I hadn't had the fortune of meeting yet. He didn't let me touch it.

"Remember who's in control here," he whispered in my ears. I shivered slightly from the heat of his breath tickling my ear.

Tara finally backed out of the driveway, heading towards the school. One of Ron's large hands were placed on my right thigh, creeping upwards. He was almost reached the top before suddenly sliding back down. Then he crept back up, getting to the same place before heading back down. This bastard was teasing me! I could feel his stupid smirk on his face.

"Eyes on the road Tara," he spoke. I heard her squeak before turning to face her. She was blushing bright red. She had seen? Oh God, this was weird! Was I getting turned on even more? Bonnie, stop this! You are not a sexual deviant.

I slapped his hand away. "Later Ron."

"Could you guys, like, not do that in front of me?" Tara asked forcefully.

"Sorry," Ron spoke, "But I didn't think you were a voyeur, Tara."

"You're doing it right beside me!" I laughed at her reaction.

We then pulled up to our school, parking in my regular spot. A familiar lime motorcycle appeared beside us, with two rides. Once they got off and removed their helmets, it was revealed to be Hirotaka and Hope. Hope took one look at me in Ron's lap before scoffing.

"Good morning to you too, Hope," I said to my friend. I slid out of Ron's lap to get out, embracing Hope. Tara had run over to join in.

When we broke from the hug, we saw Ron and Hirotaka sizing one another up. I wrinkled my nose. I hated when guys stated to be super macho.

Ron had his head titled upwards with a small smirk adorning his face. Hirotaka had his eyes closed, smiling pleasantly. "I didn't know you were dating Rockwaller-san, Stoppable-san."

I wondered out loud why the guy used our last name as two males continued to speak. Tara explained to me it had to do something with Japanese customs and formality. Something I didn't care about.

"You don't have to address me with honorifics. Ron is acceptable," My man told the exchange student, which only made him smile wider, "When did you and Hope hook up?"

She blushed. "We're not dating. He had offered to take me on an early ride on his bike a few days earlier."

I stepped forward. "The girls and I need to have a little chat. See you two in homeroom?"

Hirotaka looked at us questioningly, while Ron just nodded. I took Hope's hand and lead her into the school, with Tara complaining about being left behind.

"What the hell was that, Bonnie?" Hope said with a smidgen of aggravation. She wasn't really angry, trying to seem like it.

"Did he tell how long he's going to be here?" I asked, "I know he answered the question before, but he should have a definite answer now."

Hope looked at me dumbfounded. "Huh?"

I rolled my eyes. "He's an exchange student remember? He's isn't going to be here forever!"

She clenched her fist. Still a bit of resentment there. "Why do you care?"

"Because you're my friend," I said the most obvious answer, "And I don't want you to be some fling he can brag about when he goes home."

"Bonnie's just looking out for you," Tara supplied, stopping whatever outburst was on the tip of Hope's tongue. "Bonnie has a point. But I got a good feeling about him,"

I looked at her intensely. "Something Hisako told in the past or lingering effects?"

"No," she answered, "She was sure there will not be anything bad happening to me."

"Wait? What?" Hope asked suddenly.

"Ron took Hisako out last night," I answered for Tara.

Hope turned to face Tara, who gave her an affirmative nod. "Fucking finally."

I checked my Omni-tool to see it was almost time for class. I told my two friends to get moving and was sure the boys would catch up later.


End file.
